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THE 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


ifrom tl )c (German of 


/ 

FRANZ HOFFMANN. 

VI 


Miss R. H. SHIVELY. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

LUTHERAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION. 

42 North Ninth Street. 

1875- 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, by the 
LUTHERAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 


In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 


Lancaster, Pa. : 

Inquirer Printing and Publishing Company, 
Stereotypers and Printers. 



PAGE. 

CHAPTER I. 

STORY OF THE FIRST BANK NOTE, . . II 

CHAPTER II. 

STORY OF THE SECOND BANK NOTE, . . 75 

CHAPTER III. 

STORY OF THE THIRD BANK NOTE, . .Ill 


( 9 ) 









































































































































































































































THREE BANK-NOTES. 

<#rom % German of Jrat^ Hoffmann. 

CHAPTER I. 

“ Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith , 
and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that 
love Him ?” — James ii. 5. 

TT was just on the point of midnight, but the 
soft light of the full moon shone so brightly 
through the high bay-windows, with their large 
panes of plate-glass, that everything in the 
room might be clearly seen. Luxurious car- 
pets, of costly fabric, covered the floor. On the 
walls hung splendid oil paintings, in gilded 
frames ; broad mirrors rose from the floor to 
the high ceiling, and increased the light in the 

(11) 


12 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


room by reflecting the moon’s rays from their 
polished surfaces. Sofas, arm-chairs, cushioned 
foot-stools, a magnificent grand piano, and vari- 
ous other articles of furniture, tasteful in their 
form, and richly ornamented, gave to the apart- 
ment a look at once imposing and comfortable. 
Its occupants had evidently just quitted it ; the 
piano was open, and on the music-stand had 
been left a number of songs ; quivering flames 
shot up now and then from among the dying 
embers on the hearth ; chairs were standing in 
some confusion by the centre-table, and books 
lay upon it, as the readers had left them. The 
fine, aromatic fragrance of tea still lingered in 
the air ; articles of daily use were strewn 
/ around ; it was evident that, but a few minutes 
before, a cheerful family-life had pervaded the 
room, which now was empty and still. The 
lights were extinguished, and all had gone to 
rest. The voice of music was hushed, and in 
the deserted apartment reigned the deepest 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


13 


silence, unbroken, save by the regular ticking 
of the gilded clock, whose pendulum swayed 
unceasingly, to and fro, aiding the noiseless 
motion of the hands. 

And now the clock was about to strike ; the 
wheels rattled, and a little hammer in the hand 
of a bronze armorer rose twelve times, and 
twelve times fell ringing upon a silver anvil ; 
the sound echoed sweet and clear through the 
deep quiet of the room, vibrated more and 
more faintly and finally died away. It was 
midnight, all was again still. 

And now commenced a soft, rustling whisper, 
as of lightly crumpled paper, a gentle, contin- 
uous sound. The moonlight fell brightly upon 
a little table near a window. Upon that table 
stood an exquisitely wrought golden casket, 
with a crystal lid ; the moon’s rays sparkled 
upon it, as on the surface of a mirror. From 
that casket arose the soft rustling; presently 
the lid flew open, as if impelled by some secret 


14 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


power, and three little figures, looking like soft 
gray shadows, came forth and sat upon the 
delicate golden leaves and flowers of the ara- 
besque that was artistically entwined .around 
the casket. The three little figures bowed to 
one another, and exchanged greetings in tones 
so soft and low, that they sounded in the quiet 
room like the motion of leaves trembling in 
the breeze. 

The moonlight was almost as bright as that 
of day. The silvery rays rested gently upon 
the little gray figures. Each wore a tiny mantle 
of printed paper, from which the small head 
with its delicate features looked forth ; on close 
inspection it might have been perceived that 
each little mantle was a bank-note — a real 
paper note of the Bank of England, for just on 
the back of each little being stood distinctly 
printed, and easily read by the bright light, 
“ Five Pound Note of the Bank of England.” 

There they all sat, wrapped in their paper 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


15 


mantles, upon the golden arabesques, chatting 
in whispers, and putting their heads close 
together. The moon shone upon them, as 
though she would have listened to their con- 
versation. The clock ticked an accompaniment 
to it, and a spark crackled out once in a while 
from the dying fire on the hearth ; and as all 
around is so quiet, let us draw a little nearer, 
and listen with the curious moon to what the 
tiny creatures are saying in that soft and gentle 
whisper. 

And this is what the first is telling — 

“ Yes, my dear sisters, young as I am, I have 
seen and experienced a great deal, for we do 
not, like human beings, need years in which to 
grow and to acquire understanding ; we came 
into the world full-grown, and men estimate us 
at once according to our full value, nor does our 
intelligence require long cultivation and many 
instructions to make it at home in the world. 
We are so lovable by nature, that men always 


1 6 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

receive us with friendly smiles, and part from 
us with the greatest reluctance. They are so 
fond of us that they protect us carefully from 
everything rough and unpleasant ; they shelter 
us from wind and storm, from cold and heat, 
from fire and water ; in short, from all that might 
do us harm. They carry us about, near their 
hearts, or shut us up in chests guarded by triple 
locks and bars, that we may not be maltreated or 
stolen. They love us and care for us even more 
than their own children, and desire us so greatly, 
that no labor, no pains, no exertions are too 
great for them to use that they may have many 
of us in their possession. We belong, with 
them, to the human family. They allow us to 
have a share in all that befalls them, either of 
good or evil ; and have no secrets from us, for 
they suppose that we are dumb and unable to 
betray them, so they take us with them to their 
most secret haunts, and allow us to hear every 
word they say to themselves or to one another. 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


17 

Thus we see, hear, and observe many things 
which serve for our entertainment and instruc- 
tion ; and this protects us, who contribute, on 
our part, so much to the pleasure of mankind, 
from that weary monotony which must be so 
great an evil. 

“ Fortunately, I know but little of that evil 
through my own experience, but only through 
my observations of some human beings, in 
whose possession I have been. They were too 
weary for work, or even for enjoyment, of which 
they seemed to have had a surfeit, all its charms 
being gone; so they bore their lives like a 
burden, seeming to say nothing, except to re- 
peat over and again — * How weary, oh, how 
weary is the world !’ I pitied them with all my 
heart, for in spite of the thousands of our sisters 
that were in their possession, and who might 
have done so much for the welfare and happi- 
ness of other people, they knew no way of 

purchasing contentment for themselves, nor 
2* B 


i8 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


of driving away the ennui over which they 
lamented so bitterly. These were generally 
wealthy people ; and although I have known 
many, in small and lowly cottages, who envied 
the rich, I understood perfectly that such poor 
people had quite false ideas of the blessedness 
of riches, and were often in a more enviable 
condition than those who possessed them. 
What did they know of Ennui, that fearful 
spectre ? Their time passed swiftly in active 
labor and work, over which they might enjoy 
such true and heartfelt pleasure as many rich 
people would gladly have exchanged hundreds 
of our sisters to feel if but for a few hours. 
Yes, those whom they thought more fortunate 
than themselves envied them their simple 
delights. How foolish men are! They do 
not prize what they have, and they overrate 
what they have not. One cannot help laugh- 
ing at them, and yet they are much to be pitied, 
being so blind and silly, and so unthankful to 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 1 9 

God. It is well that this is not true of all 
people. There are some, rich as well as poor, 
whom one cannot but love and respect, and 
these, too, I have known.” 

“ Tell us about them, dear sister,” whispered 
the second bank-note, as the first paused in 
thoughtful silence. “That will help to pass 
away our time, and to keep us from that mo- 
notony, which is so tiresome even to us. Re- 
late to us your fortunes, and how you came 
here. Then I will tell my story, and our other 
sister must have her turn too. We, like your- 
self, have seen and heard much; and how can 
we better entertain one another than by ex- 
changing our experiences and observations ?” 

“ Indeed, our sister is right,” said the third 
bank-note. “ Do you begin and we will follow 
your example.” 

“ Be it so,” answered the first, settling herself 
into a more comfortable position. “ Let us 
pass the quiet night in telling our stories, for 


20 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


the days are so noisy, on account of the throng- 
ing and the business of the people around us, 
that one cannot hear her own voice. Listen to 
me, then, sisters, and I will tell you a story 
from my own life, one that has excited my sym- 
pathies and caused me to feel much pity and 
anxiety, but in the end very great joy. 

“ Let me pass rapidly over my birth and the 
various changes of my earlier years. I have 
no doubt that yours very much resembled 
mine. I found myself suddenly launched upon 
the world, in the midst of a great, great throng 
of sisters, whose number increased every min- 
ute. We were counted, tied together in bundles, 
and lay all of us quiet as mice, for we had as 
yet no experiences to impart, having seen 
nothing of life. We were laid in an iron chest, 
locked up with care, and carried away. When 
daylight shone again into my prison, I found 
myself in a spacious room, where a great many 
men were engaged in writing, casting up ac- 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


21 


counts, counting, receiving and paying money. 
You understand — I was at a banker’s, amid 
hundreds of thousands of bank-notes, and great 
heaps of round pieces of silver and gold, which 
looked down upon us with quite an air of 
superiority, although they were of no more 
real value than ourselves. I was still very 
ignorant, and understood but little of what was 
passing around me. But the quiet talk of our 
sisters at night, as they chatted with gay free- 
dom, as soon as the noisy business of the day 
was over, gradually enlightened me. I soon 
felt myself as wise as any of the rest, and 
although I knew nothing of the world by my 
own experience, as many of the others did, I 
thought I should certainly soon find myself in 
the midst of it, especially as I early learned 
how well men loved us and how kindly and 
tenderly they treated us. I longed to leave 
my narrow corner for the wide world, and it 


22 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


was at no distant day that my hopes and my 
curiosity were to be gratified. 

“ I was taken from the iron chest, and started 
on my wanderings. I went into royal castles, 
into cottages, into palaces, into citizens’ fami- 
lies, and everywhere I found much that was 
worthy of observation; but just where I ex- 
pected to be most comfortable, there I was 
least at ease, that is, in the mansions of the 
rich and the great. And this, for a very simple 
reason. It is true, we are everywhere kindly 
received, but the warmth and cordiality to be 
met with in cottages and in plain citizens’ 
houses do not fall to our lot in those splendid 
dwellings. In palaces there are too many of 
us, so that we are handled with more indiffer- 
ence, and sent away without particular regret ; 
but in cottages, we are always welcomed as 
rare and distinguished guests, and there I was 
loved and honored, I was admired, I was ex- 
amined a hundred times a day, with delight ; 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


23 


and when at last the good people were obliged 
to part with me, it was not done without visible 
pain, and often not without hot tears. That 
was the reason why I preferred visiting lowly 
houses, and you, my sisters, whose lot is the 
same as mine, will understand the feeling. 

“ Well, after various wanderings from one 
hand to another, and by the time I thought I 
had seen the whole world and learned all its 
ways, I came one day into such a place as I had 
never before known. It was a spacious room of 
a very repulsive and disagreeable appearance. 
Around the walls, and in cupboards, and on 
shelves, hung and lay the greatest variety of 
articles ; old and new garments, beds, furniture, 
vessels of gold and silver, clocks, watches, 
spoons, weapons, costly ware, boxes, kettles, 
ornaments, jewelry, in short, every imaginable 
article of any value, and on each hung a ticket 
with a number, which must, doubtless, have 
had some significance. The side of the room 


24 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

on which was the entrance from without, was 
divided by wooden partitions into small cabi- 
nets, into which no one could see except from 
the interior of the room. Whoever should 
stand in one of these cabinets might indeed 
see the rest of the room, but could not see his 
neighbor to the right or to the left. I wondered 
at this strange arrangement, which I had never 
before seen ; and all the surroundings gave me 
a feeling of uneasiness, a kind of shuddering 
dread, which I was not able to overcome. A 
heavy, unpleasant odor poisoned the air of that 
strange place; the many articles around, not a 
few of them dirty and mean-looking, disgusted 
me very much; nor was the aspect of the 
possessor or guardian of these treasures at all 
calculated to reconcile me to my new place of 
abode. 

“ He was a middle-aged man, with rigid and 
deeply-furrowed features ; eyes now cunning, 
now sparkling with an evil expression; a 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


25 


crooked figure, a sneaking, cat-like gait, and 
a mocking curl of the lips, which rendered him 
particularly repulsive to me. Early and late, 
he sat over his great books, crouching like a 
venomous toad, reckoning, counting, writing 
figures upon figures in long columns : or, he 
sat before his money boxes, in which great 
heaps of gold and silver glistened, and let the 
coins slip through his fingers with eager enjoy- 
ment, muttering to himself in his wretched 
pleasure over the wealth on which he gazed. 

“ There were a few young men with him, 
who, like himself, wrote and calculated in large 
books, but they were only his hired dependents. 
They seemed to me very insignificant beings, 
only a sort of machines, moved alone by the 
command of their master. 

“For a whole day I wondered and tried to 
conjecture what this great room, with all its 
varied contents, might mean, but I could come 
to no conclusion about it, until at last, on the 
3 


26 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


following day, the riddle was solved for me. 
At nine o’clock in the morning, people began to 
come, stepping into one or another of the differ- 
ent cabinets, and displayed all sorts of things, on 
which my possessor set a price, and received 
them, giving in exchange greater or less sums of 
money, and also a ticket, which the bearer of 
the article received, and then went hastily away. 

“ There came Jews and Christians, women 
and young girls, men and boys, distinguished- 
looking spendthrifts, and poor day-laborers: 
people of all kinds and classes gave in their 
packages, received their money, and went away 
some cheerful, others distressed ; some laugh- 
ing, others downcast. The endless variety 
afforded me much entertainment, for I grad- 
ually learned to know the nature of the place 
to which I had come, and of the business car- 
ried on there. My new possessor was a pawn- 
broker, his house a loan-shop, where people 
might receive not more than half the value of 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 2J 

their goods at most, besides incurring the risk 
of being unable to redeem them, and being 
obliged to pay an exorbitant interest, which the 
pawnbroker deducted from the value set on the 
articles left with him. I had never before seen 
the inside of a pawnbroker’s shop, but from the 
descriptions I had heard in earlier days from 
some of my sisters, all was soon clear to me, and 
then I took pleasure in seeing the many differ- 
ent things that were brought into the place, 
and in judging of the rank of the people who 
visited it by their dress, and of their characters 
by their countenances. In this manner the 
days passed rapidly away, until on the seventh, 
when no one came, and the outer doors were 
closed and locked. This seventh day was a 
Sunday, on which all business ceased ; only the 
old pawnbroker hung over his gold and silver 
and bank-notes, counting them, and rubbing 
his hands with an inward chuckle, as he calcu- 
lated the increase of his wealth. 


28 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ It was not long before I began to interest 
myself more in some particular persons, who 
appeared from time to time in the shop, than 
in the crowd that came and disappeared with- 
out making any special impression upon me. 
Foremost among these was a young woman, 
who soon enlisted my warmest sympathies. I 
was pleased with her appearance at first sight. 
Timid, and so thickly veiled that her features 
could scarcely be distinguished, she stepped 
into a cabinet and waited patiently until her 
turn came, and the pawnbroker deigned to be- 
stow attention upon her. Her dress was poor, 
but with all its simplicity, was exceedingly neat, 
well-fitting, and cleanly. An old shawl envel- 
oped her graceful and delicate figure, and when 
she gave her deposit to the old man, and re- 
ceived from him a small sum of money and 
her ticket, I noticed a small, snowy hand, which 
certainly was not accustomed to hard work. 
The hand trembled as it was again withdrawn 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 29 

into the folds of her shawl, but I had no further 
opportunity for observation, for as patiently as 
the young girl had waited for those few shil- 
lings, so speedily did she take her leave when 
the business, certainly a most disagreeable one 
to her, was ended. 

“ Some days passed away, and I had almost 
forgotten the young girl, when suddenly she 
appeared a second time in the shop. I could 
not mistake her identity. There was the closely 
drawn veil of faded blue, whose thick folds 
concealed her face ; the same gray bonnet, the 
old plaid shawl, the delicate little white hand, 
which received the money, trembling as it had 
done before. I tried my best to get a glimpse 
of her features under her veil, but could not 
succeed in satisfying my curiosity. She dis- 
appeared, and I felt the greatest desire to see 
her again, and become better acquainted with 
her. 

“ Poor child ! she came indeed often, and 
3 * 


30 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


brought, now a ring, now a gold pin, now a 
pair of silver spoons, now one article of value, 
now another, which she exchanged for trifling 
sums; but never did she come bringing money 
to redeem the deposited articles. She was 
certainly very poor, and was obliged to struggle 
with bitter cares and depressing want. I felt 
the greatest compassion for her, and would 
gladly have tried to get into her possession, to 
accompany her home, had I not been fastened 
to my place by a strip of paper. I was far too 
weak to free my myself, and besides, the old 
pawnbroker kept so watchful an eye upon us 
all, that I could not have slipped out without 
being observed. I had to lie still and wait 
patiently, and was very glad that I was not, 
like many other bank-notes, given out to peo- 
ple in whom I felt no interest. For much as 
I had at first wished myself out of this unat- 
tractive place, so much I now desired to remain 
there a little longer, and that solely for the sake 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


31 


of this young girl, who occupied my thoughts 
so constantly, although I had scarcely, as yet, 
seen her figure, to say nothing of her face. 

“At last, however, I was to behold both. 
One day, she came bringing a pair of silver 
spoons, which she offered to the stern old 
pawnbroker. Ah, I saw plainly that her hand 
trembled to-day more than ever before — cer- 
tainly, I thought, these spoons must be almost 
the last thing she has. The old pawnbroker, 
in whose heart was as little compassion as 
there is juice in a dry, squeezed lemon, weighed 
the spoons in his knobbed and hairy hand, 
shook his head, and said, as usual, through his 
nose — 

“ ‘ Very light ! very light ! These have been 
a great deal used ! I cannot give you more 
than six shillings, at most, for these.’ 

“ The hard-hearted, old skin-flint ! The 
spoons were worth three times as much, as I 
had by this time learned enough to judge, and 


32 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

the avaricious wretch offered so little for them, 
because he was sure they would never be 
redeemed. The poor young girl seemed to 
penetrate his thoughts. I heard her, in a soft 
and silvery but rather trembling voice, insist 
on receiving nine shillings, declaring that she 
could not give up the spoons for a trifle. Her 
tone was so grieved, so gently beseeching — 
yet the heart of the old usurer was inaccessible 
to pity. All his soul was set upon gold, silver 
and bank-notes, nor did it trouble him that his 
miserable gains cost sighs and tears to the 
unfortunates. Obstinately he refused to give 
the little difference, until at last the young girl 
threw back her veil, displaying a countenance 
of such angelic beauty that even the hard usurer 
was touched. Indeed, her face was wonderfully 
lovely, but it was so pale that I was frightened ; 
at that moment, my sympathy for her was 
doubled. Tears stood in her beautiful blue 
eyes, tears rolled down her white cheeks, tears 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


33 


caused her voice to quiver, as with ill-repressed 
sobs, she exclaimed — 

“‘Oh, no, no, sir! I beg of you, give me 
nine shillings — nine ! I need them. Indeed, I 
cannot take le§s !’ 

“ The sound of her voice, her imploring eyes, 
her clasped hands, aroused at last some feel- 
ing of humanity in the stony heart of the 
usurer. Muttering something that sounded 
like — 

“ ‘ Well, well, for once !’ — he took nine shil- 
lings from his money-box and counted them 
out to the young girl. 

“ ‘ Thank you, sir !’ she said softly, as she 
gathered up the little sum. Then she hastily 
drew down her veil, and turned away, as usual, 
with a light and rapid step. 

“ I could not help dwelling on the recollec- 
tion of this young stranger. I saw continually 
before me her lovely pale features, her long, 

light-brown tresses, her gentle blue eyes, filled 
C 


34 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


with tears, and expressive of such heavy, heart- 
felt sorrow, such consuming grief, such bitter 
anxiety. I longed to have wings, like the little 
birds that sometimes fluttered past the window, 
that I might follow the unfortunate girl, and give 
myself to her, if so I might dry one tear, only 
one, from her cheek. She was so very young 
yet, certainly not more than sixteen years old, 
the poor child ! and already her wasted features 
and eyes full of sadness told a tale of misfor- 
tune and suffering. What grief could thus 
have banished the roses of youth from her 
cheeks ? This question occurred to me again 
and again, nor could I conjecture the solution 
of it ; and, as I thought it over, my compassion 
arose to the highest pitch. With impatience, 
even with anxious restlessness, I awaited her 
next visit, and yet wished, with all my heart, 
that she might never be obliged to come 
back to that place. For, if she should not re- 
turn, I might at least hope that her circpm- 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 3 5 

stances had improved, so that she need no 
longer sacrifice her little treasures to the 
usurer’s avarice. * 

“ Thus, amid divided wishes, I passed four- 
teen days. At last I had begun to think that 
my little friend had turned her back forever on 
the pawnbroker’s shop, when one day she 
appeared again, dressed as usual in the well- 
known plaid shawl, the gray hat and faded 
blue veil. Yes, it was she, poor child, and 
although I was glad to see her, yet I was really 
pained, too. Her demeanor was that of suffer- 
ing and dejection. As if weary of the burden 
of life, which rested so heavily on her young 
head, she leaned her slight figure against the 
partition of the cabinet, awaiting the old usurer’s 
attention. At last he approached her with a 
kind of friendly grin — 

“ ‘ Well, here you are again, my pretty child,’ 
said he. ‘A longtime since you came last! 
What pretty thing are you bringing now ?’ 


36 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“‘This!’ she replied, laying.some glittering 
object on the table. 

“ I noticed here the old pawnbroker started, 
and pounced greedily upon the article. That 
led me to examine it more particularly. It 
was the gold frame of a medallion, set with 
sparkling jewels ; the medallion was wanting, 
having evidently been taken out by the young 
lady. 

“ ‘ Ay, ay, there we have gold !’ said the old 
usurer, in his nasal tone ; ‘ and precious stones, 
too ! I suppose I shall have to dip into my 
money-box deeper than usual to-day. How 
much do you want for this, young lady ?’ 

“‘Fifteen pounds sterling, sir!’ replied the 
young girl, gently, but with decision. ‘ Fifteen 
pounds, not a shilling less !’ 

“ ‘ Fifteen pounds ! why, my child, you are 
dreaming !’ replied the old knave ; ‘ who knows 
whether the setting is really gold : the stones 
are only imitations, at any rate.’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


37 


Oh, no/ replied the young girl ; * I know 
these stones are genuine, for before I came 
here, I had it examined by a jeweler, and its 
value estimated. It is worth twenty pounds — 
I ask only fifteen for it.’ 

“ The old usurer knew very well that the 
frame was really worth the amount she men- 
tioned, but he wished to make the sum he 
wanted to give for it as little as possible, feeling 
quite certain it would never be redeemed. 

Ridiculous!’ he exclaimed, roughly and 
harshly. ‘ I will give ybu six pounds, and that’s 
enough ! Don’t be foolish, child.’ 

“ ‘ Fifteen pounds — I will give it for no less/ 
returned the girl firmly. ‘ Do not try to 
cheapen it, sir. Give me the money, I am in 
haste.’ 

“ ‘ Well, then — seven pounds/ 

Fifteen !’ 

“ 4 Eight!’ 

Fifteen!’ 

4 


33 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ ‘ Ten then — not a shilling more !’ 

“ ‘ Fifteen !’ repeated the young girl. ‘ If 
you will not give me that sum, I will go to the 
jeweler and sell the setting. I shall, indeed, 
lose it forever, but at least I shall not be de- 
frauded. Decide quickly, sir, will you, or 
not ?’ 

“ * Well, then — twelve pounds, for your sake ; 
but it is a sacrifice/ 

“ The young girl made no further reply, but 
took the medallion from the table, and with a 
determined air, turned her back upon the ob- 
stinate usurer. 

“ ‘ Stop, stop !’ cried the old knave, seeing his 
prize about to slip through his fingers. ‘ Not 
so fast, my child ! Let it be fifteen pounds. 
It is true, I sacrifice good money, but since it 
is you, give me the thing/ 

“ The young girl did not deign to prolong 
the conversation with the false old niggard. 
In silence she laid the medallion again on the 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 39 

table, from which the pawnbroker snatched it 
as eagerly as a bird of prey seizes his booty. 

“ I had watched the whole proceeding with 
the liveliest interest, and now a hope sprang up 
within me, for the fulfillment of which I ardently 
longed. The young girl was to receive fifteen 
pounds ; I and two others of my sisters lay tied 
together in a package at the top of the chest ; 
there were, it is true, a dozen similar packages 
around us ; still it was possible the old man 
might take us to pay my favorite, and with 
great anxiety I awaited the decisive moment. 
The usurer shuffled the bundles over, took up 
first one and then another, and still another, 
but laid them all down again. At last my turn 
came, he clutched us, weighed us in his hand, 
and after a short hesitation threw us, with a 
reluctant tremor, upon the table. He might 
not have decided even then, had not the young 
girl just at the moment of his hesitation ex- 
pressed her impatience by the exclamation — 


40 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ ‘ Please, sir, do not keep me waiting any 
longer !’ 

“ It was so hard for the old pawnbroker to 
part with us, that he would perhaps have laid 
us down again, like the other packages, but 
my good fortune prevailed, and at last I found 
myself, as I had so greatly desired, in the white 
hand of my dear young friend. I crumpled 
and cracked for joy. But the young girl, who 
of course had no suspicion of my feelings, hid 
me quickly and carefully in her little caba, 
which she carried upon her left arm, pressed 
me close to her heart, held me fast as if to 
make sure of not losing me, and hurried away 
with light, swift steps. 

“ I saw nothing — darkness reigned around 
me ; nevertheless, I was quite happy that such 
a favor had been granted to me, and I pressed 
as tenderly close to the heart of my new pos- 
sessor, as if I could in that way have testified 
to her my sympathy. Time did not pass slowly 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


41 


in that dark prison, for I had so much to think 
of, to imagine and to conjecture. Yet I ob- 
served that it must have been nearly an hour 
before we at last entered a house, and ascended 
many flights of stairs. A door creaked, then 
our new owner took us out and laid us on a 
table ; and at last I had an opportunity partially 
to satisfy my curiosity concerning the young 
girl. 

“ Alas ! I saw, at the first glance, that I had 
made no mistake in my conjectures as to the 
poverty and distresses of my dear girl. How 
poor — how small and close was the room in 
which she lived ! No picture was on the wall ; 
no ornament, save a little piece of looking- 
glass, fastened to a piece of pasteboard, before 
which my favorite no doubt arranged her toilet 
when obliged to go out; as, for example, to the • 
shop of my former possessor. Articles of furni- 
ture were few and very poor. By the little 
window stood a chair and a table, both roughly 
4 * 


42 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

made of wood ; an old worm-eaten cupboard 
stood against one wall ; in a corner on the floor 
lay a rough straw sack, and in the back part of 
this simple chamber hung a calico curtain, 
which apparently divided a little sleeping-room 
from the rest of the apartment. Other refine- 
ment there was none. None, except that on 
the table by the window lay a half-finished 
piece of elegant embroidery, which seemed to 
have owed its existence to the skillful and 
artistic fingers of my darling girl. 

“ And she herself, where was she now ? Ah ! 
there she stood listening by the curtain ; her 
pretty delicate head bowed, her veil thrown 
back, her light brown hair falling in graceful 
confusion over her pale cheeks; she stood 
there and listened for a moment. All was still ; 
I heard no sound until the young girl drew the 
curtain a little way back. Then I saw a poor- 
looking bed, stretched upon which was the 
wasted form of a youth, perhaps a year younger 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


43 


than the maiden. He appeared to be sleeping; 
his eyes were closed, and his white, delicately 
veined hands were folded upon the pillow, as 
if before he slept he had prayed. At the head 
of his bed I now perceived a little girl of about 
nine years, who seemed to be watching the 
boy’s slumber. As the curtain was drawn, she 
sprang forward to meet the darling of my heart, 
exclaiming, softly — 

“‘Helen, dear sister! are you here at last?’ 

“‘Hush, hush, Mary!’ said Helen, with 
a gesture of warning. ‘ Do not wake poor 
brother William ! All night he lay in a fever, 
and never closed his eyes. Do not let us dis- 
turb him, Mary ! Come here — his slumber is 
precious !’ 

“‘Yes, yes!’ answered the little one, nod- 
ding her fair head, and followed her sister into 
the other part of the room, letting the curtain 
fall behind them. I could now see the little 
girl distinctly. She had a delicate, almost 


44 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


sickly appearance, blue eyes and shining hair 
like her sister’s, and her coarse attire seemed 
as little suited to her as the calico dress of 
Helen, which was exposed to full view when 
she laid aside her bonnet and shawl. From 
all that I saw, I understood that the poor 
children must formerly have been in better 
circumstances, and must have experienced — 
perhaps at no distant time — a very sad reverse. 
I was very anxious to know more about them, 
and lent an attentive ear to the conversation 
of the sisters. 

“ I lay, as I have said, with the other notes, 
upon the table, and as Mary caught sight of 
us, she uttered a half-repressed exclamation of 

joy— 

“ ‘ Oh, how much money !’ she cried. * We 
can live a long while on that, Helen !’ 

“‘Yes, Mary, quite a long time/ replied 
Helen ; ‘ at least, I hope, until brother William 
is well again. And after that we shall not be 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 45 

in distress ; for we are young and can work. 
Whoever is diligent, the Lord says, shall not 
suffer want.’ 

“ ‘ But you have worked hard for a week, 
Helen,’ answered Mary; ‘for a whole week, 
all day and half of the night, and yet it was not 
enough.’ 

“ ‘ Yes, that is true ; but it is because William 
is sick, and cannot help me,’ replied Helen. 
‘ But we will have patience ! I have called for 
a doctor, and I hope he will soon cure William. 
Then I can work at my embroidery, and Wil- 
liam can paint the pretty little pictures for 
which he finds such ready sale, and you, too, 
Mary, can help me in my work. Then, indeed, 
all will be well ; nor shall we need any assist- 
ance from others, much as we have wished and 
hoped for such aid when we had reason to 
expect it.’ 

“ ‘ Oh, how cruel it is of Ralph, how mean to 
have neglected us !’ said Mary. ‘ I cannot for- 


46 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


get how you came home, pale and weeping, 
the day he repulsed you so sternly— the wicked, 
hard-hearted creature ! I cannot bear the 
thought of him !’ 

“'Hush, hush, Mary! you will waken Wil- 
liam/ Helen interposed in a warning tone. 
‘ Why do you excite yourself so? Our Father 
in heaven, to whose protection dear mother 
committed us on her death-bed, has not for- 
saken us. He never will forsake us ! William 
will surely recover. If only the doctor would 
come ! I gave him very particular directions 
how to find our lodgings ; but he stays so long, 
and he promised me he would come directly. 
I hope he has not forgotten !’ 

“‘Helen!’ cried at this moment a feeble 
voice behind the curtain. 

“ ‘ Oh, William, we have wakened you !’ ex- 
claimed Helen, alarmed. ‘ But when the doctor 
comes, we should be obliged to do so ; perhaps 
it is better as it is. I am coming, dear brother !’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


47 

“ She hurried to the alcove, drew back the 
curtain, and with sisterly tenderness kissed her 
brother’s white forehead. He looked up with 
a faint but loving smile. 

My dear Helen,’ he said, warmly. 4 Here 
you are again — my comfort in suffering.’ 

“‘Yes, Willy; and I bring help for you,’ 
replied Helen. ‘ Courage, brother, we shall 
try to cure your disease. See, here is money, 
and a doctor will be here soon to prescribe 
some medicine for you. Be comforted, Willy, 
you will soon recover !’ 

“ ‘ So much money !’ exclaimed William, 
looking with astonishment at the bank-notes. 
‘ Fifteen pounds, Helen ! Where did you get 
such a sum. Oh, it must be — I see ! Ralph 
has at last seen how wrong he was in refusing 
your request. Is it not so, Helen ?’ 

“ Helen sadly shook her head. 

“ ‘ The money is not from Ralph,’ she an- 
swered. ‘ Since he first repulsed me I have 


48 THREE BANK NOTES. 

never been to see him. I could not — my heart 
rebelled against it.’ 

“ ‘ Ah ! then he must have treated you very 
badly !’ murmured the youth, with an angry 
look. ‘ I will reckon with him when I am 
well again. To be hard with you, my sweet, 
kind, gentle Helen ! He shall answer me for 
that, the miserly, thankless wretch !’ 

“ ‘ Do not speak of it, Willy ; do not think of 
it. You become excited, and I know you have 
double pain afterward. Do not think of Ralph, 
dear brother. Think rather how soon you will 
be well and up again.’ 

“‘You are right, dear Helen. I will wait 
until I am well,’ answered William. ‘ But if 
all that money is not from Ralph, where did 
you get it? Tell me, dear Helen. It makes 
me uneasy.’ 

“ ‘ Surely you know, Willy. Dear mother’s 
medallion picture !’ 

“‘Oh, you cannot have sold that!’ cried 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 49 

William, alarmed. ‘The last memento we 
possess of our mother !’ 

“ ‘ No, no, no, Willy !’ replied Helen, quickly, 
taking out a little picture, which had lost its 
setting. ‘ Here is the portrait. I could only 
part from that with my life. But the setting, 
Willy, it was of gold and precious stones, 
and added nothing to the value of the picture 
in our eyes. We needed money, for our last 
penny was spent, and we must have a doctor 
for you ; so I took the setting from the portrait 
and carried it — well, you know where.’ 

“‘Yes; to the pawnbroker!’ replied Wil- 
liam. ‘ To the pawnbroker — the last resource 
of the unfortunate. Well, sister, we still have 
the dear portrait. We can do without the 
setting; and, when I shall be well again, I will 
not rest until I earn enough to redeem it from 
the usurer’s. How glad I am that you kept 
back this treasure !’ 

“ He took the picture with trembling hands 
5 D 


50 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


and pressed upon it a long, tender kiss. A 
tear stood in Helen’s eye, but she turned away, 
so that her brother might not see it, and learn 
how painful it had been to her to despoil the 
beloved memento. 

“ ‘ Never mind, Willy,’ she said directly, in 
a quiet manner. ‘ Some sacrifice was necessary 
to purchase health for you ; and it is my pur- 
pose, also, not to rest until the medallion is 
complete again. But listen — I hear footsteps. 
It must be the doctor coming up the stairs.’ 

“ It was indeed the physician ; a kindly old 
man with serious, intelligent eyes, a benevolent 
smile and snow-white hair resting in abundant 
locks upon his cheeks, that were still fresh, 
notwithstanding his advanced age. He paused 
a moment at the door, scrutinizing the room 
and its inmates, and then stepped quietly to 
the bedside. 

“ ‘ Ah, this is our patient, my dear miss,’ he 
said to Helen, with a kind smile. ‘ Let us see, 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 5 I 

young gentleman, what is the matter with 
you.’ 

“ The examination was soon over. The phy- 
sician prescribed the necessary remedies, and 
gave the best hopes of recovery. Then, after 
chatting a moment or two with Helen and 
Mary, he took his hat and cane, and left to pay 
another visit. Helen accompanied him to the 
door, and timidly offered him some money in 
payment for his trouble, which he, however, 
refused with a smile. 

“ ‘ Never mind that for the present, my deal 
miss,’ said the benevolent old man. ‘ We will 
settle our accounts when our patient has re- 
covered. I will be here to-morrow. Good-by !’ 

“ With these words he disappeared, closing 
the door behind him. With a slightly per- 
turbed countenance, Helen returned to her 
brother’s bedside. 

“* He would accept nothing,’ she said, laying 
down the money. 


52 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ William looked surprised. 

“‘Ah, he must have noticed that we are 
poor !’ he said. ‘ He is certainly a kind, good 
man. Let us love him, .and thus show our 
gratitude. Some day, I hope, I may be able 
to acknowledge his kindness in some more 
substantial way. Yes, indeed, true Christian 
benevolence shone in his face. I see there are 
good people in the world, among the evil ones.’ 

“ Whether by the consoling friendship of the 
generous doctor for the poor, helpless orphans, 
whether by the remedies he ordered, or by the 
better and more constant care which Helen 
was enabled, by the money she received for the 
setting of the precious medallion, to bestow 
upon her brother — in short, William’s recovery 
progressed rapidly. In eight days he was able to 
leave his bed, and after a fortnight to engage 
in light work. He painted pretty pictures in 
water colors, and Helen carried them out for 
sale, ten or twelve at a time. They made no 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 5 3 

great profit on them, it is true ; still, with what 
Helen received for her beautiful and artistic 
embroidery, there was sufficient to supply the 
three children with the necessaries of life, so 
that they were very rarely obliged to have 
recourse to their little treasure — the sum paid 
by the old pawnbroker for the medallion. 

“ The brother and sisters led a quiet, simple 
and industrious life, interrupted only by the 
occasional visits of the good doctor, which were 
continued long after William’s health had been 
restored by his friendly aid. He appeared to 
have conceived a sincere affection for the young 
orphans, and they returned this affection with 
a warmth which gave the kind old gentleman 
visible pleasure. When he came, little Mary 
hung caressingly on his arm, Helen cordially 
pressed his hand, William left pencils, colors, 
pictures, and everything, in order to devote 
himself entirely to the entertainment of his 
friend. The old doctor refused any compensa- 
5 * 


54 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


tion for his professional services, in the most 
good-humored, but at the same time most 
decided manner. What less could the poor 
orphans do than to love and esteem him for his 
disinterested Christian kindness ? So they 
always received him with the greatest joy, and 
when his visit was over I heard nothing but 
the praises of his goodness, his beneficence, his 
unwavering friendship. The good doctor and 
the beloved departed parents, — these were the 
inexhaustible themes of the conversation of the 
three orphans. 

“ Thus passed a long time. I saw through 
the windows the snow fall upon the roofs ; I 
saw the great icicles, a yard long, that hung 
from the eaves ; I saw the snow disappear, and 
the twittering swallows return from distant 
lands, skimming swift as arrows through the 
air, warmed once more by the breath of spring. 
I saw the topmost branches of the trees renew 
their festal summer array of fresh, green foliage; 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


55 


but in the quiet lodging of the affectionate 
orphans there was no change, except that the 
roll of bank-notes lessened visibly, because fuel 
was dear, and they had been obliged to buy 
warm clothing for the winter. This, however, 
did not greatly disturb the peaceful serenity 
of the young people. Helen comforted her 
brother and sister, as one after another of my 
sisters was sent away, by saying that when 
summer should come the days would grow 
longer, and they could do more work; that 
they would not need to spend money for wood 
and coals, and might be able to lay up enough 
to provide comfortably for the following winter. 
So the good doctor, when he occasionally in- 
quired whether they were in need of anything, 
always received the same answer — they wanted 
for nothing; so that he was not able to carry 
out any plans for their benefit. Helen only 
accepted occasional trifles from him, a pretty 
ribbon, a neck-tie, needles of a fine sort, and 


56 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

such like articles ; but the doctor never ventured 
to offer more valuable gifts, as he perfectly un- 
derstood the honorable delicacy of the orphans, 
who would far rather earn their bread by labor 
than accept help from a stranger, except when 
forced to do so by inexorable necessity, as in 
the case of William’s sickness. 

“ And now the summer had come. There 
was one morning gloriously fresh and lovely — 
such a morning as Helen in former days used to 
greet with quiet delight. The sun shone beauti- 
fully, the swallows twittered before the windows, 
the sky was of the deepest blue, and a soft 
breeze rustled amid the tree-tops. Everything 
appeared inviting to cheerfulness, and I pleased 
myself by thinking of the happy face Helen 
would wear, when I should see her. Contrary 
to my expectations, however, she came from 
the alcove with a very sad countenance. Wil- 
liam and Mary also appeared dejected, and all 
three went quietly about their work, exchanging 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 57 

but a few words ; I even saw Helen and Wil- 
liam brush away a tear from their eyes once 
in a while. What misfortune can have hap- 
pened? I thought. I have seen nothing to 
account for this ! 

“ Half the morning had passed in this man- 
ner, when suddenly steps were heard without, 
and the good doctor entered the quiet, sad 
little chamber, with his usual kindly mein. 
He, too, at once observed the change in the 
manner of the orphans ; his cheerful smile 
disappeared, and he inquired anxiously what 
trouble had befallen them. 

“ Helen, William, and Mary looked at one 
another; the hitherto repressed tears of all three 
burst forth at once, and they fell weeping into 
one another’s arms. The kind physician, much 
astonished at their unusual display of feel- 
ing, tried to soothe and to console them, and 
inquired so earnestly and so affectionately as 
to the cause of their grief, that Helen, drying 


58 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


her tears, turned at last to him, striving to 
recover her composure : 

“ ‘ Do not be offended with us, dear doctor/ 
she said, in a gentle but still trembling voice ; 
‘ this is a very painful day for us. It is just a 
year to-day since we lost our beloved mother. 
Our grief is renewed to-day, and seems re- 
doubled; it is in vain that we have tried to 
repress our feelings, and to conceal them from 
one another ; they seem all the stronger for it.’ 

“ ‘ You are right, Helen/ responded William ; 
4 although we have not spoken a word of re- 
membrance, we could not help thinking of our 
loss. I have read it in your eyes, as you no 
doubt have in mine ; we have all thought of our 
mother this morning, and it would have been 
better to have spoken of her, rather than . to 
brood in silence over our sad thoughts.’ 

“ ‘ Poor children ! poor children !’ exclaimed 
the doctor, tenderly pressing the hands of his 
young friends. ‘ Indeed, the loss of a mother 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


59 


is the greatest one that young hearts can know ! 
Your mother must have been very kind and 
loving to you ?’ 

She was an angel, doctor F exclaimed 
William, passionately. ‘ No angel in heaven 
could be more tender and loving! How she 
cared for us, how she watched over us, what 
privations she endured for us, and how she 
cheered us, when our great misfortune came 
upon us — you remember, Helen ! Ah, how 
much love we feel for our mother, when we 
think of all that !’ 

“ ‘ Of what, my children, of what ?’ inquired 
the doctor, sympathizingly. * I have never 
before asked you any questions about your 
former circumstances, although I could easily 
see that you had once occupied a very different 
position in life. But to-day, finding you in 
tears and in grief, I am sure you will not 
attribute to idle curiosity my desire to learn 
more of your earlier history. Pray speak freely 


6o 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


to me — tell me all ; confide your sorrows to 
the heart of a friend who knows how to keep 
your secrets, and you will lighten your own 
bosoms. You certainly know that I have your 
welfare at heart, and that you need have no 
reserve with me.’ 

“ ‘ We do, we do, my dear doctor/ replied 
Helen; ‘we know that we need have no secrets 
from you, even were there in this case any- 
thing to be hidden. But any one might know 
what Our lot has been. Our father was a 
wealthy merchant, who traded both with the 
East and West Indies. His name was Elliot. 
No one thought, in the midst of all our pros- 
perity, how quickly and how easily it might 
be swept away. Our father was wise, good, 
and prudent. How good he was, you may 
know by his having taken our cousin, the son 
of his brother, who had died in great poverty, 
into his house, and brought him up like one 
of his own children. Ralph Elliot grew up 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


6l 


among us ; father provided him with every- 
thing, gave him the means of studying, settled 
him as an advocate, and secured his future so 
well that Ralph is now in easy circumstances, 
while we, his benefactor’s children, must strug- 
gle with want.’ 

“ ‘ Ralph Elliot !’ interrupted the doctor. 
* I am acquainted with him, and I know he 
makes a great deal of money. Did he do 
nothing for you when you were overtaken by 
loss ?’ 

“ ‘ Nothing,’ replied Helen. ' So long as my 
father lived in affluence, Ralph visited us almost 
daily, and was regarded as a child of the family, 
just as he had always been. But our prosperity 
waned. Without any faults of his own, my 
father experienced heavy losses, through the 
bankruptcy of others. This he might have 
borne, but now a new misfortune happened. 
He had commissioned Ralph to insure two 

vessels for him, laden with costly merchandise, 
6 


62 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


and bound for South America. Ralph, to 
whose faithfulness and honesty my father would 
have confided anything, took the money for 
the insurance of the vessels; but, instead of 
fulfilling my father’s commission, he retained 
the sum, and the vessels were not insured. 
This was the cause of the greatest trouble. 
The two ships, which contained all that was 
left of my father’s wealth, were overtaken by a 
storm, shattered and sunk, when scarcely out 
of port. The news of their loss soon spread, 
and was fully corroborated. My father was 
but little disturbed at first by the loss of his 
merchandise, supposing the vessels to have 
been insured. He went to Ralph, and now 
the whole extent of his misfortune appeared. 
Ralph was obliged to confess that he had 
retained the insurance premiums, expecting 
that the vessels would perform their voyage 
safely, in which case no one would have in- 
quired after the money; and my poor father, 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 63 

who had relied so implicitly upon Ralph’s^ 
integrity, now found himself ruined. 

“ ‘ His health had been terribly shocked by 
the reverses he had before experienced ; this 
last blow, rendered the more severe by the 
treachery of one so loved and trusted, com- 
pleted the wreck. He uttered not a single 
reproach to Ralph, but came home broken- 
hearted. Three days after he died of grief, 
leaving our mother and us in sore distress. 
Our father’s honorable name was all that 
remained to us. The sale of all that we pos- 
sessed just sufficed to pay the claims of his 
creditors; nothing was left for our support. 
We took refuge in a small lodging-place ; we 
worked, we suffered privations; our mother 
would have made any sacrifice rather than to 
ask the assistance of strangers. The burden 
was too great for her. She neither murmured 
nor wept ; but grief consumed her life, as it 
had our father’s. At last she became too weak 


6 4 


THREE BANK NOTES. 


to leave her bed, and a year ago, this day, we 
wept over her, dead. Her last words were a 
blessing upon us ; and now we were all alone 
in the world — orphans, whom none pitied, 
whom none cared for! Oh, doctor, if we had 
not then looked up to God, the Father of the 
fatherless, the Helper of the afflicted, we should 
have been crushed by our sorrows !’ 

“ ‘ But Ralph, what of Ralph, my dear 
Helen?’ asked the doctor. 

“ ‘ Ralph troubled himself no further about 
us ; he never entered our house again,’ Helen 
continued, wiping away her tears. ‘ My mother 
entreated him at least to repay to us the sum 
of money that he had received from father for 
the insurance premiums ; but he basely denied 
the whole transaction, leaving us in our poor 
and helpless condition.’ 

“ * The wretch,’ exclaimed the worthy doctor, 
indignantly. ‘ Why did she not compel him 
to restore what he had robbed you of?’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


65 

“ 1 1 tried to induce him to do so, after our 
mother died/ said Helen. ‘ I called on him, 
and spoke to him of the heavy debt, during 
my brother William’s illness ; but he repulsed 
me abruptly, again denying all that had passed, 
and pretending to know nothing of the matter. 
My father had taken no receipt from him, for 
how could he mistrust Ralph, whom he re- 
garded as his own son, and who owed him so 
much gratitude ? Ralph, therefore, denied the 
transaction, demanding proofs of his having 
received the money from my father. I pos- 
sessed no proofs, and was obliged to leave him 
without having accomplished anything. Since 
that day, I have never seen him. Thank God, 
that He has blessed our efforts, so that we have 
not suffered the greatest of wants !’ 

“The good physician quite lost his usual 

composure, and burst out in great wrath against 

Ralph, calling him a shameful, worthless villain. 

William, who, during his sister’s recital had 
6* E 


66 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


become very pale, now sprang from his chair 
in great excitement, and paced rapidly up and 
down the little room. 

Helen!’ he cried, 'why have you never 
before told me a word of this ? It is fearful !• 
The thankless, treacherous — Doctor, I have 
no words to express the wickedness of such a 
fraud ! And this is the first I have heard of it 
— oh, Helen, why so late?’ 

“ ‘ Because I know you so well, Willy, my 
dear Willy !’ replied Helen. * I feared your hasty 
anger, feared that you might go to Ralph to call 
him to account, and so bring on a terrible and, 
alas, a useless scene. You were sick; even yet 
you have not recovered your usual health and 
strength, and I was not willing, needlessly, to 
excite you. Let it pass, Willy ; leave the evil 
man to the dealings of a righteous God, as I 
do.’ 

“ ‘ No, no, I cannot, indeed !’ cried William, 
passionately. ‘ I will go to him, I will demand 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 67 

of him our rights, and if he refuses me, I will 
let him feel the weight of my contempt Worth- 
less man ! He robs his benefactor, ruins him, 
kills him by his deceit, and feels no touch of 
penitence for his shameful deed! Had he 
repented, sister; had he rendered up the ill- 
gotten gain ; had he shown to us, the children 
of his benefactor, but one evidence of sympathy, 
I might forgive him ; as it is, every drop of 
blood in my veins boils, when I think of his 
heartless baseness/ 

“‘Calm yourself, my boy/ interposed the 
doctor, soothingly, while Helen appeared 
greatly distressed that she had not still longer 
kept her secret. ‘ In such a case as this, you 
can accomplish nothing by rage and violence ; 
other means must be employed against such a 
man as Ralph. Let me try, my children ; I 
have friends, and among them is a very skillful 
lawyer. I will speak with him of the matter. 
If there is any way to compel Ralph to give 


68 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


up the money, my friend will find it out. Wait 
patiently, until we hear what he proposes ; he 
knows more about such matters than any of us, 
and we may safely trust to his judgment. Do 
you know, Helen, how large a sum your father 
entrusted to Ralph ?’ 

“ ‘ Yes, doctor, it was exactly two thousand 
pounds sterling,’ answered Helen. 4 Mother 
often said to me : “ My poor Helen, if we could 
only have saved that money, I could now die 
peacefully, for I should know that you poor 
orphans were at least placed beyond the reach 
of want.” ’ 

“ ‘ Good ! two thousand pounds is quite a 
handsome sum, and I hope we may be able to 
secure it for you, my children,’ said the kind 
doctor. ‘ But, no rashness, Willy ! Wait at 
least until we have my friend’s advice, and after 
that, you may act as you please.’ 

“William’s first transport of anger had been 
already calmed by the judicious reasoning of 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


69 

his aged friend; and, seeing that it would 
indeed be well to have a lawyer’s advice, he 
gave the desired promise, that he would wait 
patiently for it. The doctor left ; and for the 
rest of the day, the children talked only of the 
beloved mother, whom God’s mysterious provi- 
dence had taken from their side a year before. 
Many a tear fell for her, many a loving word 
of praise was spoken of her; from all I heard, 
one could easily infer that she had been a noble, 
pious woman, and a tender and self-sacrificing 
mother to her children, whose fond and faithful 
remembrance she had richly deserved. 

“ On the next morning the doctor came again, 
but with a dejected manner and a troubled 
countenance — 

“ ‘ I bring little hope,’ he said. ‘ My learned 
friend shrugged his shoulders when I repre- 
sented to him the particulars of our case, and 
expressed his opinion that we could expect 
nothing satisfactory from a lawsuit, if no ac- 


70 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


knowledgment on Ralph’s part, of the receipt 
of the money, was to be found. Such a law- 
suit would, besides, be very expensive, and he 
thought we had better try to come to an amica- 
ble agreement with Ralph, than to trust to the 
chances of litigation, the result of which is, 
unfortunately, worse than doubtful.’ 

“ ‘ Yes, yes,’ said Helen ; 4 1 recollect now, 
that my mother one day spoke to a lawyer on 
the subject, and received almost exactly the 
same answer. Well, we must be content; 
the loss of money is a trouble not so diffi- 
cult to forget, if God will but preserve our 
health.’ 

“ William was silent for a few minutes, and 
then said — 

“ ‘ Helen, you know I am not avaricious, yet 
it would be a great satisfaction to me, if Ralph 
could be prevailed upon to give up the money 
he has so shamefully obtained. We should be 
spared much heavy anxiety for the future, and, 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 7 1 

at any rate, I will make the attempt : I will go 
to Ralph, Helen.’ 

“ ‘ Oh, no, do not go !’ pleaded Helen, in 
alarm, ‘ Ralph is so rough and stern, he might 
abuse you, and that would only add new trouble. 
Mother and I have both tried in vain to per- 
suade him.’ 

“ ‘ I know it,’ replied William ; ‘ but I know, 
too, that every man has a conscience, and I 
will attack his conscience with the power of 
truth. Do not fear, Helen, that I will be rash ! 
Oh, no ! But I will set his own actions plainly 
before him ; and, if I cannot touch his feelings, 
then I will leave him to the just retribution 
that will come some day. But I must make 
one attempt ; I feel that I cannot be contented 
until I have spoken with Ralph face to face.’ 

William is right,’ said the doctor; ‘Do 
not prevent him, Helen ; let him go. He has 
self-command and intelligence enough to speak 
in this important matter. Go, go, Willy ! May 


72 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

heaven grant your words the power to touch a 
hardened heart, and to awaken a slumbering 
conscience ! Perhaps when Ralph meets the 
son of the man whom he betrayed and loaded 
with misfortune, his better feelings may be 
aroused; perhaps he will try to make good at 
least a part of what he has fraudulently taken 
from your parents and yourselves.’ 

“ Helen still appeared to dissent, as she had 
not the slightest hope of her brother’s success; 
but she made no further objection, nor did 
William stay to argue any longer, but left with 
the doctor. He was absent for some hours ; 
it was afternoon when he returned, pale and 
with eyes sparkling with anger, and told — ” 

“Stop, sister,” interrupted the second bank- 
note, “ it is now my turn. I have found to my 
astonishment, that the stoiy I have to relate 
stands in the closest connection with your own. 
I know that Ralph Elliot better than you do ; I 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 73 

was for a longtime in his power; I was present 
when William, that good, noble-hearted boy 
visited him, and caused him, in spite of his 
baseness, to tremble in his very soul. I have 
witnessed other scenes, too, which appear nearly 
related to the fortunes of your poor orphans, 
and I am sure you will allow me to take up 
the thread of the narrative, and carry it on from 
the point at which I interrupted you.” 

“ Certainly, my dear sister,” replied the first 
bank-note, settling herself more comfortably 
upon her tiny golden throne. “ I am, indeed, 
quite curious to hear your recital ; as William, 
angry and excited, only told his sister that his 
attempt to arouse any good feeling in Ralph’s 
bosom had been utterly in vain. Let us then 
hear what you have to tell us.” 

The second bank-note had just opened her 
gentle little mouth, to satisfy the curiosity of 
her sisters, when the hammer of the bronze 
armorer on the clock gave notice that the 
7 


74 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

dawn of morning was approaching. Life 
seemed at once to stir in the house — steps 
were heard without, in the corridor, and the 
handle of the door rattled. 

“ Our time is out,” said the first bank-note, 
“ human beings are coming; the noise of their 
life will now re-commence, and we must go 
back into our little home. I am chilly, too, 
and tired ! To-morrow night, my sisters, when 
midnight strikes, and all is once more silent, 
we will continue our conversation. For the 
present I wish you a pleasant repose.” 

The two others nodded; all three slipped 
into the casket, and the lid closed upon them 
just as the housemaid opened the door, broom 
and dust-brush in hand, to put the room in 
order and make the fire. But she saw nothing 
of the Three Bank-notes. 


CHAPTER II. 


“ They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare , 
and into many foolish and hurtful lusts , which drown men 


in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the 


root of all evil ; which , while some coveted after , they have 
erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with 
many sorrows .” — I Timothy, vi. 9, 10. 



HE hammer rang twelve times upon the 


anvil ; it was midnight. The lid of the 
golden casket sprung open, the three tiny gray 
figures in their little paper mantles stepped out 
and seated themselves upon the arabesque, 
nodding to one another. Silence reigned, as 
on the preceding night; no human creature 
disturbed the conversation of the small sprites, 
the second of whom commenced her recital 
without delay. 


( 75 ) 


76 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ The beginning of my life passed much as 
your own did, my dear sister,” said she. “ Silent 
and ignorant I came into the world, passed 
through various hands, found myself far oftener 
in large and beautiful mansions than in lowly 
cottages, and came at last into the possession 
of that Ralph Elliot, whom you have mentioned. 
I was, indeed, one of those very two thousand 
pounds which the unfortunate father of the 
three orphans entrusted to his thankless foster 
son, for the payment of the insurance premiums 
on the vessels bound for America. 

“ ‘ Pray attend to this business immediately, 
dear Ralph,’ I heard the old man say. ‘ Those 
two ships are my last hope ; the weal or woe 
of my family depends upon them.’ 

“ ‘ Make yourself easy, uncle,’ replied Ralph. 
‘ I will go at once to the office.’ 

“ Mr. Elliot left his nephew without taking 
any acknowledgment of the receipt of the 
money. When he was gone, Ralph regarded 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


77 


us, as we lay upon his table, with a lowering, 
covetous eye, and I thought, as I observed his 
expression, ‘ surely the poor man who has be- 
stowed his confidence here is deceived ! I and 
my sisters will never find our way to the in- 
surance office.’ And such, indeed, was the 
case. 

“ ‘ What a fool I should be to let all this 
money pass out of my hand for nothing/ mut- 
tered Ralph, after staring at us for a long time, 
and counting us more than once. ‘ The ships 
will go safely enough, and who will ever inquire 
after the insurance premium ? But then, if 
they should be lost ! Bah, how unlikely ! And 
even if they were — why Elliot has no receipt 
for the money, and I can deny that he ever gave 
it to me !’ 

“And he hastily gathered us up, in order to 
thrust us into his safe, but conscience checked 
him, and he hesitated. 

“ ‘ It would be bad, very bad, indeed, if those 
7 * 


78 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


ships were to go down/ he muttered, gazing 
absently before him. ‘ Elliot would be a ruined 
man, and his family would share in his distress. 
That is certain, for I know he has met with 
heavy losses of late. But for myself! I need 
money, and here it is, as it were, showered 
down into my lap. Barnet will come shortly, 
and demand the money he won from me the 
other night, and if I do not not pay him I shall 
be disgraced, branded; while for Elliot there 
is still hope, the vessels may make their voyage 
in safety. It must be done ! It is too much for 
me; why did he bring me this money, and 
take no receipt for it ? Ha ! there is Barnet 
already, the rascal !’ 

“ The door burst open, and a man of an evil 
countenance entered the room. His manner 
was haughty and insolent. As he opened the 
door two suspicious-looking men were plainly 
to be seen outside, men who were as much like 
policemen as one egg is like another. 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


79 


“ ‘ My money, Elliot !’ he cried, without any 
other salutation. ‘You lost fifteen hundred 
pounds to me — here is your acknowledgment !’ 

“ ‘ Exactly ; and out there are the grippers, 
who are to take me along in case I have not 
the wherewithal to pay you — eh, Barnet?’ 
retorted Ralph Elliot, with a sneer. ‘ Oh, you 
are a precious scoundrel ! You cheated me at 
play, and now you think you have me in your 
power, and are not afraid to show all your 
malice !’ 

“ The man addressed did not appear at all 
confused, but took Ralph’s rough accusations 
as something natural and ordinary. 

“‘Never mind all that, Elliot!’ he replied. 
‘ My money, or you go to jail ! I have no 
indulgence for worthless debtors.’ 

“ ‘ I know, I know,’ answered Ralph Elliot, 
who had, at the beginning of the conversation, 
placed himself so that Barnet could not see us 
bank-notes on the table. ‘ I am going to make 


8o 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


you a proposition, Barnet : take five hundred 
pounds, and be satisfied ; if you do not, you 
will not get a penny !’ 

“‘And be cheated out of my money by a 
fellow like you?’ exclaimed Barnet, with an 
oath. ‘ Not I ; you will pay the whole sum, 
or walk off to jail, I tell you !’ 

“‘Very good; and you will get nothing, I 
tell you 1” returned Ralph, coolly. ‘ I have no 
more than five hundred pounds, and if you are 
not satisfied with that sum, I shall keep it. 
Decide quickly ! It is all one to me whether 
you say yes or no !’ 

“ The other seemed to hesitate. 

“ ‘ I tell you what, Ralph,’ he said at length, 
‘ make it six hundred, and I will be satisfied.’ 

“‘No; five hundred, and not a penny over, 
for that is all I have.’ 

“ ‘ Give me the money, then !’ cried Barnet, 
in a passion. 

“‘My I O U, first,’ said Ralph. 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


8l 


“ Barnet threw a paper upon the table, which 
the other seized with a triumphant laugh, as he 
tossed a package of a hundred five-pound notes 
at his creditor, while he tore the acknowledg- 
ment into the smallest possible bits. 

“ * So now we are at quits,’ he said, laughing, 
* and you have allowed yourself to be led by 
the nose like an ox. See here! here lie fiiteen 
hundred pounds more ; you might have had all 
your money if you had been a little sharper.’ 

“ Barnet’s rage almost choked him ; he swore 
he would have the other thousand pounds, or 
Ralph should go to the gallows in a week. 
Elliot only laughed at his impotent wrath ; and 
as Barnet could not help seeing that he had 
over-reached himself by giving up the note, he 
at last took his departure, accompanied by his 
now useless constables. Ralph laughed to 
himself, snapped his fingers behind his discom- 
fited creditor, and carelessly brushed us bank- 
notes aside. 


F 


82 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“‘No use in any more parley with con- 
science/ he said to himself, as he laid us in his 
safe, ‘ the sum is broken now ; after all, why 
was Elliot so careless as to trust me ? Why 
need I care what becomes of his ships ? If the 
worst comes to the worst, I have only to deny 
that I ever received the money.’ 

“And thus did the unprincipled man silence 
his better nature, and betray his benefactor, 
his second father, with as little remorse as he 
did the sharper, Barnet. I once heard a clergy- 
men, in whose possession I remained for a 
short time, telling his children about a race of 
beings superior in power and wisdom to 
mortals — 

“‘Some of them/ he said, ‘are pure beings, 
and are sent by the Lord where Christians 
worship, to help men in times of temptation 
and trial; others are evil, and strive continually 
to lead mortals away from purity and happi- 
ness.’ He said that ‘they linger, invisible but 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 83 

full of interest, around the dwellers on earth, 
and, no doubt, often contend for the mastery 
over human souls. If a mortal chooses the 
right way, and overcomes temptation, the good 
angel cheers him and ministers to him/ as the 
clergyman said they once did to the Lord, 
when He was on earth in the form of man ; 
‘ but if the choice should be evil, then the good 
angel can but return in grief to Him who 
sent him, while the evil one laughs in fearful 
triumph !’ 

“ If all this be true, what sadness of the pure 
spirits, what terrible rejoicing of the wicked 
ones must there have been, unknown to Ralph 
Elliot, over his miserable transgression ! For 
me, I had seen and heard enough of him to 
detest him from my bank-note heart, more than 
words could express. I longed for wings, that 
I might fly away from him — I hoped that I 
might soon come into other hands. But I was 
obliged to remain in his possession much 


8 4 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


longer than I expected. I had built my hopes 
upon the knowledge that he was a gambler; 
but I soon found that, although he played 
much and high, he won far oftener than he 
lost. I am convinced that he was as unscrupu- 
lous at the gaming table as he was everywhere 
else. Besides, he was very miserly indeed, 
and, except at play, seldom parted with his 
bank-notes and guineas. For these reasons I 
remained a long time in his safe, and had 
abundant opportunities for learning to under- 
stand his character — no very agreeable study, 
as you may suppose. And thus I have learned 
some incidents which may serve to complete 
the story of the three orphans, which you, my 
sister, have commenced to relate. 

“ Ralph Elliot, a young man of twenty-four or 
twenty-five years of age, concealed under a 
showy and glittering exterior, a base and worth- 
less character. He resembled a false coin or 
note, which, although fresher and brighter in 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


35 


its external appearance than the genuine money, 
has no intrinsic value. His life was one un- 
broken chain of idleness, villainy, and shame- 
ful fraud, practiced, in his profession of attor- 
ney, upon all who knew so little of him, or 
were so unwary as to confide in him. By 
these means, and by gambling, he made a great 
deal of money ; so long as I remained in his 
possession, large sums were never wanting, 
piled up in the safe beside me. I believe that 
but once in his life did he allow himself to be 
cheated by a more cunning rogue than himself; 
I mean by this Barnet, whom I saw on the day 
I came into his hands, and -whom I was to see 
again, some weeks later. Barnet seemed to 
have plundered him pretty completely, for 
when I was put into the safe, there were but a 
few silver coins there ; it was filled up, how- 
ever, within a few days after that. Every 
morning he brought considerable amounts to 

the safe, and I began to hope that he would 
8 


86 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


make good the wrong he had done his bene- 
factor. But though the five hundred pounds 
he had given Barnet had long been replaced, 
the whole sum more than doubled, yet never 
did Ralph take any steps toward fulfilling his 
uncle’s trust. I longed to implore him to obey 
the voice of conscience, but our lips speak not 
the language of men, and my low,, warning 
whisper could never reach his ear. There 
might yet have been time to repair the evil, 
but in a few weeks it was forever too late. One 
day Mr. Elliot called on Ralph, pale but com- 
posed. 

“ ‘ My vessels have been wrecked, my dear 
son,’ said the old gentleman. ‘ How fortunate 
that I provided for the insurance on the cargo ! 
Give me the policy, Ralph, that I may go and 
demand the money.’ 

“ Hardened as Ralph Elliot was, this time 
the blow was too severe and unexpected. He 
was pale as death, and poor Mr. Elliot read in 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 8 / 

his countenance the story of this crowning 
misfortune. 

“ ‘ Unhappy boy !’ he gasped out. ‘ Y ou have 
forgotten or neglected to attend to the insur- 
ance !’ 

“ Ralph dared not, could not deny it. 

“ ' Oh, what a fearful stroke this is !’ exclaimed 
Mr. Elliot, in tones of distress, and wringing 
his hands. ‘ Ralph, pray to God to forgive you 
for this neglect. I hope I may ; but, alas, my 
poor wife, my unfortunate children — we are all 
ruined ! ruined ! ruined !’ 

“ Distracted by the overwhelming news, Mr. 
Elliot did not think of asking the unfaithful 
nephew for the sum intrusted to him. I do not 
suppose that, at that moment, Ralph could 
have refused it ; he was himself too much sur- 
prised and. confused. But Mr. Elliot went 
away, leaving the money, and never returned. 
I know now why that was, since three days 
later he died of a broken heart. But Ralph, 


88 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


meanwhile, recovered himself ; and when, at a 
later day, first the widow and afterward the 
daughter of his benefactor came to ask him for 
the money, he unblushingly denied the whole 
transaction, and turned from his door those 
who had formerly loaded him with benefits, for- 
bidding them ever to set foot in his premises 
again. The poor women, having no evidence 
to produce on their side, had to go away weep- 
ing. The evil man was triumphant, and for 
some time no more was said about the money. 
One day Barnet came again to Ralph, who 
received him, at first, rather coolly — 

“ ‘ What do you want here ?’ he said. ‘ We 
have nothing more to do with each other.’ 

“ Don’t be a fool, Ralph/ returned the 
other, in that insolent manner which appeared 
natural to him. * I bring you news worth a 
million, and I will sell it to you for a hundred 
pounds.’ 

Pshaw!’ returned Ralph, carelessly, ‘ chaff 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 89 

doesn’t catch an old bird like me. Carry your 
news to some better market than this.’ 

“‘Well, then, I’ll take ten guineas for it/ 
said Barnet, laughing. 

“ ‘ Not from me.’ 

“ ‘ Five then. Nothing give, nothing have, 
Ralph. Don’t stop to consider ; my news is 
worth a thousand times as much as that to you.’ 

“ Ralph became at last really curious. He 
took five guineas from the safe, and tossed 
them towards Barnet, saying — 

“ ‘ Speak, then. But if I find that you are 
only taking me in, then look out for the con- 
sequences.’ 

“ ‘ Leave your threatening, Ralph ; that don’t 
go down with me,’ said Barnet, coolly pocket- 
ing the gold pieces. ‘You have an uncle in 
the East Indies.’ 

“‘Well?’ 

“ ‘ A nabob, immensely rich, and without any 

family.’ 

8 * 


I 


9 o 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“‘Well, then, what of him ?’ 

“ ‘ Nothing but this : that a friend of mine 
has written to me that this nabob, your uncle, 
has set sail from Calcutta for London, with all 
his wealth, in order to pass his last years among 
his relatives, in his native country. Now you 
know all, and I suppose you are wise enough 
to understand what to do with such news. The 
children of your other uncle, whom, if I mis- 
take not, you yourself have cast into poverty, 
will be glad enough to meet Sir Robert Elliot, 
fresh from India, with a ship-load of gold and 
silver and diamonds.’ 

“ ‘ They must not know of his arrival,’ cried 
Ralph. ‘ Thanks for this intelligence, Barnet ; it 
is worth fully five guineas, and I will make use 
of it. I’ll take possession of the old gentleman, 
and keep him so well engaged that he will 
never think of asking after his other relatives.’ 

“‘Good luck to you, Ralph,’ said Barnet, 
laughing. ‘ In the meantime, I will try what 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 9 1 

luck your five guineas will bring me; they 
came just in the nick of time, for I will confess 
to you that I lost my last farthing yesterday at 
cards.’ 

“ ‘ This is no false news you have trumped 
up to deceive me, is it, Barnet?’ said Ralph, 
with rising suspicion. 

“ ‘ No, no,’ replied Barnet, ‘ here is the letter; 
read it yourself. There is no deceit about it, 
but you may think yourself happy that I lost 
all my money yesterday, else I should scarcely 
have come to you with the news ; our friend- 
ship is not quite so disinterested. So good-by 
to you, Ralph.’ 

“ With these words, and a laugh, the fellow 
went out and left Ralph alone. The latter 
seemed quite excited by the intelligence he 
had received. He strode up and down his 
room, muttering to himself. 

“ ‘ He must not see them. He must not 
know that they are in London, that they are 


92 


THREE BANK NOTES. 


alive. I will tell him they are all dead. He 
must leave all he has to me — to me alone. He 
certainly cannot live much longer ; he must be 
nearly sixty, and the Indian climate makes 
people old before their time. I will take care 
of him ; I can flatter him, pretend affection for 
him, win his favor in a thousand ways — he will 
make me his heir. Pshaw ! what is it to me 
how my beggarly cousins get along in the 
world ?’ 

“These words, and more, he uttered in 
broken sentences, rubbing his hands in joyful 
anticipation. He had always known full well 
that his father’s brother, Robert Elliot, had 
gone to India, and there become very rich; 
but it had never occurred to him that he might 
return to England. Unexpected as the news 
was, it was so much the more welcome. It 
appeared to him easy enough to gain the favor 
of the wealthy uncle, provided the other rela- 
tives could be kept out of the way. A meeting 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 93 

with them, however, might spoil all his plans, 
especially if Helen or William should expose 
the fraud by which he had brought them to 
want. It must not be. 

“‘No, no!’ he said to himself, ‘I will say 
that they are dead ; and something extraordin- 
ary indeed must happen if the old man ever sees 
or hears of them. None but a fool will share 
with others, if he can enjoy anything alone.’ 

“ As Ralph uttered these words, he heard a 
knock at the door, and a young man of perhaps 
fifteen years entered, slender and handsome, 
but somewhat pale. The appearance and man- 
ner of the youth were very prepossessing, but 
Ralph cast upon him a look of aversion, and 
shrunk back a step or two as he entered. 

“‘William!’ he exclaimed, half in anger, 
half in confusion, ‘ what do you want with me ? 
What brings you here ?’ 

“ ‘ A little business, that can speedily be set- 
tled,’ replied the youth, quietly and earnestly. 


94 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ ‘ Business, with you ?’ asked Ralph. ‘ What 
can I have to do with you ? I do not wish to 
be disturbed at present/ 

“ ‘ I will trouble you only until this affair, 
which should have been settled long ago, is 
finished/ replied the boy again, as quietly as 
before. ‘ Ralph, one question. Where are the 
two thousand pounds which my father intrusted 
to you for the insurance of his last two 
ships ?’ 

“‘What do I know of his insurance? He 
gave no money to my charge ; I know nothing 
about the matter/ replied Ralph, with a bold, 
defiant air. ‘ Go about your business, boy, and 
do not come here with a story like that, patched 
up to cover a begging errand.’ 

“ ‘ It is false, Ralph/ replied the son of the 
deceived and betrayed old man. ‘ My father 
gave you two thousand pounds for the pur- 
pose I have named ; you neither used them 
for that purpose, nor returned them, and I have 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 95 

come at last, to demand the payment of the 
old debt.’ 

“ ‘ Shameless boy,’ cried Ralph. ‘ Have you 
proofs of the debt, as you call it ?’ 

“ None, but the word of my father — his word 
spoken to my mother on the death-bed, to 
which you brought him/ said William. ‘ You 
cannot accuse my father of lying, Ralph ; your 
benefactor, who showed you so much kindness.’ 

“ ‘ I do ; he lied — as you do, and the whole 
tribe of you ! Go, and never show your face 

here again, or ,’ and here he uttered an 

outrageous threat, ‘ go, I tell you !’ 

“ I saw the flush of anger rise in William’s 
pale face, but the sensible boy restrained him- 
self with manly firmness, and said, in as tem- 
perate a manner as before — 

“ It is of no avail, Ralph, to dissimulate. I 
understand you. You did receive the money, 
and unless you would be a swindler, as well 
as the murderer of my father, you will restore 


96 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

it to me. Give me that money, and you will 
never see any of us again.’ 

“ ‘ Take that, boy !’ cried Ralph, beside him- 
self with rage, and struck the youth, pale as he 
was from recent illness, a violent blow in the 
face with his fist, caught him by the collar, 
dragged him to the door, and threw him down 
the stairs. 

“ I did not see him again ; he did not return, 
but I heard his voice — 

“ ‘ Well, Ralph, I am too weak to contend 
with you by force, but my father, whom you 
have basely murdered — he is witness against 
you before the judgment seat of God.’ 

“ With these words he went away. Ralph 
had heard them, as well as I ; he turned pale, 
and his hair appeared for the moment to stand 
up with terror. 

“ ‘ The dead ! the dead !’ he faltered, and it 
was some time before he regained his usual 
composure. That strange thing which human 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


97 


beings call conscience, what a mysterious power 
it seems to have, to disturb even the most 
reckless man ! If, as I have heard say, there 
is another life after this one, in which a con- 
science stifled here awakens with redoubled 
force, how fearful must the punishment of the 
wi e ! I shudder to imagine myself sur- 



rounded by faces perpetually wearing the 
expression of Ralph’s at that moment. That 
is my opinion as a bank-note. 

“ This incident, however, led to no good 
results. Ralph did not restore the money, but 
congratulated himself on being rid of his trou- 
blesome relatives, and continued to hope that 
their existence would remain unknown to the 
wealthy East India uncle, whose arrival he 
awaited daily in feverish anticipation. His 
longings were destined soon to be realized, but 
in another and far less pleasant manner than 
he so confidently expected. 

“ One morning, having finished his solitary 


9 


G 


98 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

breakfast, he was seated, half reclining, in his 
easy office-chair, reading the newspapers of the 
day. Suddenly, with a loud exclamation, he 
started from his comfortable attitude, and began 
to read aloud, as though to assure himself of 
the reality of what was before his eyes — 
“SHIPWRECK OF THE ‘ HEART OF MADRASI 

“ The recent storm was the cause of a very sad disaster. 
The ‘ Heart of Madras,’ a richly freighted East Indian vessel, 
the property of Sir Robert Elliot, who, with all the wealth 
he had acquired by honorable labor in distant lands, was 
returning on board of her to Europe, having escaped all the 
perils of the deep, was wrecked in sight of the harbor. 
Nothing was saved but a part of the crew, together with the 
unfortunate owner of the ship. The man who left the shores 
of Asia in the possession of millions, lands in his native 
country destitute, for neither ship nor cargo was insured. 
Such are the caprices of fortune. 

“ Ralph’s reading of this startling paragraph 
was interrupted by various ejaculations of dis- 
appointment and poignant regret; and at the 
close of it he threw down the journal with an 
oath, and went out of the office, to which he 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


99 


did not return for some hours. When he did, 
his ill-humor was still visible. He slammed 
doors and drawers, scowled and cursed be- 
cause the room was too warm, because his pen 
was bad, because a lock was rusty; at every 
turn he betrayed the demon of selfish spite 
which had taken possession of him. 

“ Nor was it any better the next morning, 
when he sat down to his account books, which 
seemed to have no more soothing qualities 
than any other of his surroundings; for he 
raised his head with a scowl of anger, on hear- 
ing, after about half an hour, a slow and heavy 
tread ascending the stairs. The step was ac- 
companied by a constant coughing and panting, 
and interrupted every few moments by pauses, 
as if the visitor was exhausted, and obliged to 
rest and take breath. Nearer and nearer the 
steps approached; there was a knock, and 
Ralph growled out — 

“ ‘ Come in.’ 


100 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ An old man entered ; a meagre, stooping 
figure, his head bowed, thinly covered with 
iron-gray hair, his limbs trembling, his cloth- 
ing poor. He leaned on a stout walking-stick. 
His face was deeply furrowed ; his complexion, 
browned by tropical suns, formed a striking 
contrast with the heavy white eye-brows that 
hung above his deep-set eyes, which shone 
with a brightness still youthful and fiery. I 
was really terrified at the sharp, penetrating 
glance which he cast for an instant upon Ralph. 
As he did so, he was attacked by a paroxysm 
of coughing, which lasted for almost a minute, 
and did not allow him to speak. So hollow 
and painful was the sound that I involuntarily 
thought — 

“ Poor old man ! you will not have to bear 
the burden of your existence very long ; you 
appear already to have one foot in the grave. 
The cough at last ceased, and the old man 
leaned trembling upon his staff, and raised his 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


IOI 


eyes to Ralph, who sat looking at this unusual 
apparition with surprise and curiosity. Directly, 
without even offering the old man a chair, he 
asked him roughly, what he wanted — 

“ ‘ With such a cough as that,’ he added, ‘ you 
had better stay at home in your bed, than to go 
out to torment people with your raven’s croak. 
Come, what do you want ? Be brief, I have 
no time to lose.’ 

“ ‘ Are you Ralph Elliot, the advocate ?’ in- 
quired the old man. 

“ * Certainly I am ! You ought to know who 
I am, since you have come to me.’ 

“ ‘ It is likely that there is more than one 
Ralph Elliot in London, and for that reason I 
am particular to inquire,’ replied the old man, 
quietly. ‘ You are then that Ralph Elliot who 
was brought up in his uncle’s house ?’ 

“ ‘ Well, and what then ? Come to the point, 
old man !’ exclaimed Ralph, with growing im- 
patience. 


102 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ ‘ Well, then,’ returned the other, ‘ embrace 
me, my nephew — I am your uncle, Robert 
Elliot, from India !’ 

“ ‘ Are you, indeed !’ was Ralph’s short and 
chilling rejoinder. 

“ Wes, I am your lonely old uncle. I sup- 
pose you have seen the account of the storm, 
and the consequences, in the daily papers? I 
have come to London, full of trembling anxiety, 
to find my brothers ; alas, I hear they are both 
dead! Imagine how severe a blow that was 
for a poor old man ! But then I heard that my 
nephew, Ralph Elliot, still lived, and in com- 
fortable circumstances. That gave me fresh 
hope ; I breathed more freely. I have searched 
for you, although it is difficult and painful to 
me to walk in your streets — at last I have 
found you, and I am so much rejoiced! In 
you, I trust my declining years may find solace ; 
for the sake of him, who was dear to both of 
us, my departed brother and your more than 


THREE BANK-NOTES. IO3 

father, you will love and assist your old 
uncle !’ 

Enough of sentiment, uncle ; if my uncle 
you really are. You must see that it is folly 
to approach me thus. Every one must look 
out for himself, and there is not much to spare 
for poor relations.’ 

“ The old gentleman smiled faintly at these 
words, and appeared for an instant as if he 
would return some angry and reproachful an- 
swer ; but a fresh attack of coughing suddenly 
coming on, he was so fearfully convulsed that 
it was some minutes before he spoke again. 

“ ‘ That is true — very true,’ he said at last. 
‘ I see plainly, my dear young man, that I can- 
not reside with you; you have not room or 
means, perhaps ; but still you will assist me in 
some way, will you not, nephew ? Some small 
means of subsistence you will surely not refuse 
me ! I am old, my limbs are feeble ; you hear 
my cough — I surely cannot have many years 


104 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

of life remaining. For my short time, you will 
not leave me in misery and want ; you will not 
suffer me, in my old days, to beg from door to 
door for my bread ! Oh, such a fate as this, 
Ralph, your kindness will surely avert from me !’ 

“ ‘ Pshaw !’ exclaimed Ralph, his ill-humor 
momentarily increasing, ‘a man would have 
his hands full, if he were to undertake the care 
of every old beggar that comes along. Go, old 
man, leave me in peace ! Who knows whether 
you are really old Elliot, after all? You may 
be some cunning impostor, thinking to work 
upon my sympathies! You have made a mis- 
take in your reckoning !’ 

“ ‘A mistake, indeed !’ repeated the old man, 
with some sadness. ‘Well, well, one must 
learn to endure all things. I will see, then, 
whether I can find more pitiful hearts among 
my other relations. I have heard that my 
brother William left three children; tell me, 
Ralph, where I may find them.’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 105 

How do I know into what hole they may 
have crept?’ replied Ralph, disdainfully. ‘It 
will be useless for you, in any case, to hunt 
them up, for their father did not leave them a 
penny. You needn’t waste your time in look- 
ing for them ; there is nothing to be had from 
them.’ 

“ ‘ I may at least find sympathizing hearts. I 
beg of you, Ralph, tell me where the children 
live !’ 

“ ‘ I tell you, I do not know. No more 
questions, now !’ 

“ ‘ What ! you do not know where the chil- 
dren of him who, I learn, was your benefactor, 
are to be found ? That is too much !’ said the 
uncle. ‘ You have known that they were poor, 
and have never troubled yourself even to in- 
quire about them ?’ 

“ ‘ On the contrary, I have turned them out 
of my doors, as I will you, if you do not take 
yourself off!’ almost shouted Ralph. 


io 6 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“‘I am going, nephew, I am going,’ replied 
the old man, in a gentle tone, which, however, 
contrasted strangely with those sharp and con- 
temptuous furtive glances which he occasionally 
cast upon his nephew. ‘ I will leave you, my 
dear Ralph, and I promise you never to return, 
if my visits are so annoying to you. But surely, 
you will do something for your father’s poor 
old brother ! I see thousands lying there — 
you are rich, Ralph ! you will not let me go 
quite penniless from you ?’ 

“ ‘ Promise me, first, never to come again/ 
said Ralph, hastily ; 4 then, perhaps, I might — * 

“ ‘ Certainly, certainly, I promise !’ the old 
man assured him. 

“ ‘ Well, then, take that and go ! ’ said Ralph, 
snatching from a package a bank-note, which 
he threw contemptuously towards his uncle. 

“ It chanced to be myself. I fell at the old 
man’s feet. I pitied him in my inmost spirit. 
He took me up, and, as he did so with his 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


107 


trembling hand, such a fiery look shot from his 
eyes that I wondered it did not burn me. He 
did, indeed, make a motion as if he would tear 
me ; but another thought occurred to him, as I 
saw by the singularly derisive smile that flitted 
across his lips. 

“ ‘ So, this is all that you will do for the old 
and feeble brother of your father ; you, who 
are rich, or at least comfortably off?’ he asked. 

“‘I should think it was enough/ replied 
Ralph, harshly. ‘You are saucy, my good 
uncle. I have no patience with such impor- 
tunity/ 

“‘Very well — very well! I am even with 
you/ said the old man, now in a clear, strong 
voice, drawing himself to his full height, and 
casting such a look upon his miserable nephew 
that the latter, hardened as he was, hung his 
head before the gray-headed beggar. 

“ ‘ Well--very well ! I will keep this note 
carefully, very carefully, as a treasured me- 


108 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

mento, to the end of my days, of my loving, 
beneficent, tender-hearted nephew ! Shameless 
young man ! disgrace of your family !’ he con- 
tinued, in tones of indignation and grief ; 
* ungrateful to your benefactor and to his chil- 
dren, pitiless towards a helpless and feeble old 
man, to whom you would have extended both 
hands in eager welcome, if but a single spark 
of true Christian love had warmed your stony 
heart. Know that I, your uncle, am no beggar ! 
My ship was not wrecked, my wealth not lost ; 
it was not the “ Heart of Madras,” but the 
“ Heart of Calcutta,” that went down. But the 
rumor having been spread, and the story so 
industriously worked up by the journalists into 
a touching incident of destitution, I determined 
to avail myself of it, in order to try your heart, 
and see whether you were a true man — that is, 
a true Christian or not ! I know you now, 
miserable being, and/ he added with sarcastic 
expression, ‘ I am ready, solemnly, to repeat 


THREE BANK-NOTES. IO9 

my promise, never more to cross your thresh- 
old !’ 

“ Never, in the course of my existence, have 
I seen a man stand in such utter confusion as 
Ralph. His color changed from red to white, 
from white to red ; he made a fruitless attempt 
to be reconciled with his uncle, kneeling in the 
very dust before him, but the old gentleman 
turned his back upon him, saying — 

“ ‘ Pitiful wretch ! it is my money to which 
you are kneeling, not to me!’ and left the 
room and hastened out of the house. 

“ Thus I came into the hands of Sir Robert 
Elliot ; and I might relate many things con- 
cerning him, if our third sister were not better 
qualified for that than myself. It is your turn 
now, sister !” 

“ To-morrow, to-morrow,” replied the third- 
bank-note. “ The night is now almost gone, 
and we might be interrupted. Wait, sisters, 

until to-morrow.” 

10 ^ 


no 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ Be it so,” replied the other, as she slipped 
from the leaves of the golden arabesque into 
the casket, whose crystal lid closed mysteri- 
ously over them. Deep silence reigned once 
more in the apartment, until the morning dawn 
peeped in through the windows, and the house- 
maid came as usual, to begin her daily tasks. 




CHAPTER III. 

“ The Lord preserveth the strangers ; He relieveth the 
fatherless and widow ; but the way of the wicked he turneth 
upside down.” — Ps. cxlvi. 9. 

“JT is a wonderful fate, sisters.” A bank- 
note, a heathen, or an infidel, that which 
has no soul, or he who believes in none, may 
speak of fate ; to a Christian soul, happy in 
the love of the dear Lord, there is no such 
thing as fate, but a consoling and controlling 
Providence. “ It is a wonderful fate that has 
brought us together here : a rare occurrence 
of circumstances has borne us from very dif- 
ferent places into the same hands ; and those 
circumstances correspond so curiously with 

each other as to form an unbroken chain, each 
(in) 


1 12 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


of us being able to supply those particulars 
with which the others are unacquainted. For 
my history, as well as yours, is connected with 
that of the orphans and of Sir Robert Elliot.” 

These words were spoken at the stroke of 
midnight on the third night, the moon again 
casting her delicate and beautiful light on the 
three shadowy little figures that were once 
more seated on the arabesque ornaments of the 
casket. 

“ I will pass over the history of my earliest 
days,” continued the third bank-note. “ Pass- 
ing from one hand to another, I came at last 
into the possession of an immensely wealthy 
banker, and was sent by him to Sir Robert, 
whom I found in a magnificent house, furnished 
with the greatest luxury. I was full of amaze- 
ment, as I came into the apartment where the 
old gentleman sat. I wondered, too, at finding 
that we bank-notes were not handled with the 
same careful regard as in most other places ; 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 1 1 3 

such an utter want of consideration I had never 
experienced in my life. When Sir Robert 
received us from the banker’s messenger, he 
threw us carelessly upon the nearest table — 
so carelessly that we fell scattered like worth- 
less bits of paper ; at the same time he gave a 
handful of us to the messenger, who was all 
smiles and thanks at the rich gift, and expressed 
his gratitude so profusely that the old gentle- 
man cut him short. The man having bowed 
himself out of the door, Sir Robert called to an 
old black-visaged, gray-haired servant who was 
waiting on him. 

“ * Pompey, put this money away.’ 

“ The black man, almost as careless as his 
master, gathered us up and thrust us into an 
open drawer, closing it so heedlessly that a 
corner of me was left sticking out; so I was able 
to take a minute survey of the room. Such 
luxury I had not beheld, even at the house of 

my former owner, the banker. Here all the 
10* H 


1 14 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

furniture was made of costly wood, and much 
of it inlaid and ornamented with gold; a most 
luxurious carpet was on the floor, and boxes, 
partially unpacked, displayed a profusion of 
splendid Indian fabrics, shawls, gold-embroid- 
ered kerchiefs, muslins, velvets, silks ; there 
were also precious stones of various kinds in 
caskets — in short, whichever way I turned my 
curious gaze, I beheld evidences of untold 
wealth. 

“ But the figure of the apparent owner of all 
this magnificence seemed to me more remark- 
able than his surroundings. Half sitting, half 
reclining in a luxurious easy-chair, he appeared 
out of humor, sad and discontented. His rich 
clothing was of foreign pattern. A bright, 
many-colored turban covered his gray locks ; 
soft, warm shawls were wrapped around his 
limbs ; his feet were buried in mats of the finest 
velvet carpeting; on his fingers, rings set with 
diamonds and rubies glittered as he held the 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


1 15 

long Turkish pipe, from which every few mo- 
ments he blew clouds of fragrant smoke. But 
amid all this, he wore a sad countenance, and 
his melancholy eyes gazed, half open, upon 
vacancy, -with a listless, weary expression. 

“ His servant, whom he addressed by the 
name of Pompey, was not a less remarkable- 
looking person. He was cowering down by 
the chimney-place, where a fire was blazing 
brightly upon the hearth, gazing upon the 
flames as they quivered and danced upward 
like long fiery tongues. Pompey wore long 
white garments, which contrasted sharply with 
his swart countenance. He seemed absorbed 
in watching the fire, which cast a bronze hue 
over his dark complexion ; but I soon observed 
that he often cast furtive looks at his master 
from under his heavy eyebrows, and then shook 
his head with a look of anxiety. Thus sat 
these two for some hours, silent and gloomy, 
until at last the master spoke — 


Il6 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

“ ‘ How foolish we have been, Pompey !’ 

“ ‘ And why, master ?’ 

“‘Foolish, indeed, terribly foolish — a thou- 
sand times foolish !* 

“ ‘ But how have we been foolish ?’ 

“ ‘ Because we did not stay in India, Pompey ; 
that is why !’ 

“ ‘ Indeed, I would rather be there/ replied 
Pompey. ‘ But it was your own will, master — 
Pompey had to obey!’ 

“ ‘ That is to say, that all the folly is my 
own?’ said the old gentleman. 

“ ‘ I did not say so, master. But why com- 
plain now ? What is done, is done !’ 

“‘Then, old night-owl!’ exclaimed his mas- 
ter, half angry, half amused at his servant’s 
cool philosophy. ‘ If thou hadst not served 
me so faithfully for thirty long years, I could 
beat thee !’ 

“‘You might kill me, master, and of what 
use would it be? You would only be worse 


THREE BANK-NOTES, 


ii 7 

off than before/ replied the black, as coolly as 
before. 

'“‘True, true, Pompey! Oh, what a misera- 
ble life, this of Europe ! No light, no warmth, 
no sunshine ! Only clouds, rain, snow, and 
smoke ! Oh, what folly, Pompey ! We ought 
to have stayed out there, and never seen Eng- 
land again !’ 

“ ‘ But now that you are here, master, I sup- 
pose you must stay/ observed Pompey, with 
imperturbable equanimity. ‘ You are rich, you 
might spend thousands in pleasures and amuse- 
ments. Send for players, and let them perform 
something before you.’ 

“‘Pshaw!’ answered the old man, with a 
look of disgust. 

“ * Have singers, then, to sing delightful 
songs to you/ 

“ ‘ I cannot abide their trilling and qua- 
vering !’ 

“ ‘ Well, dancers, then !’ 


1 1 8 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

“‘Worse and worse, Pompey!’ 

“ ‘ Well, then, go out among men ; hear and 
see, and talk with them. A rich nabob is wel- 
come everywhere !’ 

“ ‘ I could not endure it. All men are knaves 
and idolaters — gold is their god. I have seen 
enough of them !’ 

“ ‘ Then Pompey must go/ said the servant. 
‘ If all men are knaves, then Pompey must be a 
knave ; for he is a man, if he is black/ 

“‘Now, you silly old fellow!’ exclaimed Sir 
Robert, impatiently, ‘ you know very well that 
I do not mean you when I speak of the common 
order of men. Don’t be so foolish, Pompey 
— sit still ! Oh, your master is very unfortu- 
nate !’ 

“‘Very foolish he is!’ answered Pompey, 
‘ Not Pompey is foolish, but Sir Robert Elliot !’ 

“ ‘And why, Pompey? How am I foolish!’ 
now inquired Sir Robert, in his turn, and not 
in the least offended at the boldness of his old 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


1 19 

servitor, who spoke to him almost as he might 
to one of his own degree. ‘Tell me, Pompey; 
I want to hear ! Why am I foolish ?’ 

“ ‘ Good ! Pompey will speak !’ said the black 
man, turning around so as to face his master. 
‘First, why did Sir Robert come to England? 
Because he wanted to see his home and his 
relations ! Good ! Pompey said, “ Stay here, 
master ! India is your home, and a better one 
than any other. You can send for your rela- 
tions to come here; you have gold and diamonds 
enough !” No, Sir Robert would not. All sold, 
goods and money packed up, he takes ship, 
sails for weeks, endures storms and fatigues — 
home at last ! Well, what does Sir Robert do ? 
The banker has bought and furnished his house 
for him, and here he comes with all his goods 
— and what now? See his native country? 
Go out ? See or hear anything ? Find any 
pleasure in his home ? Oh, no ; Sir Robert 
will sit and smoke, and torment himself. Now, 


120 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


is he foolish, or not ? And, besides, in India, 
he had no peace, on account of worrying 
about his relations in England. Well, we 
are in London; will we look for relations? 
No! Now, who is the foolish man? Pom- 
pey? Pompey would have stayed in India! 
Well, then, it must be Sir Robert ! So says 
Pompey.’ 

“I thought Sir Robert would have sprung 
out of his chair in a rage, and beaten Pompey, 
or at least put him out of the room ; but nothing 
of the kind happened. Sir Robert was very 
quiet, and, in a very calm tone, replied — 

“‘Thou art right. Pompey, thy master is 
foolish ! But, Pompey, he is unhappy, too. 
See, Pompey, I have wealth, great wealth, but 
of what use is it to me ? My money does not 
make me happy, nor does anything that I can 
purchase with it. Can I buy a loving and faith- 
ful heart with all the gold in the world ? No, 
Pompey ! Ah, if I could but be sure that my 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


1 2 1 


relatives would love me sincerely ; but how can 
I tell that ? I am rich — they may, perhaps, 
love my wealth, and not me ! How shall I 
know whether they are true-hearted or not ? 
I am old and wrinkled, irritable and capricious 
— they cannot love me, but they may flatter 
me, and play the hypocrite with me, for my 
money’s sake ! Human hearts are so deceitful, 
Pompey! Oh, for any one who would love 
me truly and kindly I could do anything ! But 
I am very unfortunate, Pompey; no one can 
love me !’ 

“ ‘And Pompey, master — does your old ser- 
vant follow you for gold?’ inquired the black, 
with tears in his eyes. 

“‘No, no, no, Pompey! you are a good, 
honest soul!’ replied his master, soothingly. 
‘ But, Pompey, we are a pair of old dullards ; 
the one of us always more tiresome than the 
other. We must have youth, life, cheerfulness, 

and above all, love around us ; and money will 
n 


122 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


not help us to that ! Give me the newspapers, 
Pompey !’ 

“And Pompey handed his master several 
papers that lay on a table, but which the old 
gentleman, lost in his painful reflections, had 
until now neglected. Then there was silence 
in the room, and I lay thinking over things 
that were quite new and strange to me, and 
which a bank-note would never have dreamed 
of, if she had not seen them before her, as I 
did. We are generally treated with so much 
respect and consideration, as my sister has 
before remarked, that we naturally learn to 
think ourselves the most important beings in 
the world ; we know that we give people the 
fine houses and clothing, and the indulgences 
that they seem to prize most ; yes, people even 
say a man is * worth so many thousands', as if a 
man’s value depended on how many of us he 
might possess ; how can we help thinking our- 
selves of the first consequence? Yet here I 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 1 23 

heard that there were things, without which 
magnificence was only a weariness to its owner, 
things of more value than all the splendor 
around me, which all of our family in the world 
could not buy ! It was a bewildering mystery 
to a poor bank-note. I lay for some time pon- 
dering these things, until the silence was again 
broken by Sir Robert — 

“ ‘ Listen to this, Pompey,’ he said, and read 
aloud the very same paragraph from the news- 
paper, that, according to our sister’s story, 
caused Ralph Elliot’s base treatment of Sir 
Robert, and the defeat of his plans. ‘ Why, 
how is this ? And here it is in another journal,’ 
he said, on opening a second. ‘ O, I under- 
stand ; you remember that the disaster was the 
wreck of the “ Heart of Calcutta,” which took 
place the night after we landed. There has 
been a mistake in the name of the vessel, and 
some one who knew me has made up this 
paragraph/ 


124 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ 'And now, master, now ! Pompey cannot 
buy you love, it is true ; but he can tell you 
how to find out the truth, whether love is there 
or not !’ exclaimed the old servant, his eyes 
brightening. 

" ' How, Pompey, how ? Speak, my good 
fellow !’ 

“ * Easily, easily, master ! Go and see them 
as a poor man — put on a beggar’s dress ; go in 
that way to your brothers, and nephews, and 
nieces ; then you will see what they will say 
and do.’ 

“'But perhaps they have not seen this 
report, or perhaps they know the truth ?’ 

“ ‘ They cannot know, or they would have 
come before this to see you.’ 

“ Sir Robert reflected for a few moments. 

“ ‘At least, it is worth trying, Pompey,’ he at 
last spoke, rising at the same instant, as if to 
put the plan into immediate execution, as he 
was evidently a man with whom to purpose 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 125 

was to do. Another thought instantly occurred 
to him, however, and he paused. 

“ ‘ But who knows,’ he said, ‘ whether a single 
one of my relations has read this story ? Who 
knows even whether my brothers are still 
living ? It is years since I heard from either 
of them. Go you first, Pompey ; inquire of the 
police, of my bankers, of any one you can, 
whether any of the family are living ; in what 
circumstances, what sort of persons they are — 
everything, in short, that you can find out, and 
bring me word. I must know all about them 
before I am a day older/ 

“ ‘ Good, master !’ answered Pompey, show- 
ing his white teeth for delight. ‘ Now Pompey 
glad — master will learn some news ; will know 
what to do at last/ 

“ The old black went out, and did not return 
until towards evening. He was then tired, 
dejected, and visibly out of humor. 

“ ‘ Well, how is it ?’ inquired his master, as 

ii* 


126 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


soon as he saw him. ‘ Have you found out 
where my brothers live ?’ 

“ 4 1 know all, master.’ 

“ ‘ Well, well, why don’t you speak? How 
is Edward ?’ 

“ ‘ Dead ! died in poverty I He has left only 
one son, named Ralph.’ 

“ * Dead ! And now I shall not see him — 
never in this world !’ sighed Sir Robert. ‘And 
my brother John?’ 

“ ‘ Dead, too !’ answered Pompey. ‘And he 
was poor, like the other ! He left nothing but 
three children.’ 

“ ‘ Is he dead, too ? And died in poverty ! 
Oh, it is hard !’ cried old Sir Robert, with more 
feeling than I had supposed him capable of 
‘ Pompey, it is a pity we did not come home 
sooner. Perhaps we might have been able to 
help or save ! Oh, how I reproach myself 
now ! And it is too late /’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


12 ; 

“ ‘ Useless, master ! there is no medicine 
against death !’ 

“ ‘ But against poverty ! God knows I would 
gladly have shared my superfluity with my 
poor brothers ! But the children, Pompey, 
how is it with them ? Ralph, you say, is the 
name of Edward’s son.’ 

“ ‘ Ralph.’ 

“ ‘ Well, why don’t you go on ! Must I 
question you all night, or have you made no 
further inquiries?’ 

“ ‘ I have. Mr. Ralph, it is said, is well 
off.’ 

“‘And his disposition? What kind of a 
man is he ?’ 

“ ‘ Not good, they say, master !’ replied Pom- 
pey, shrugging his shoulders. ‘ Heard no good 
of him. Hard, miserly, ungrateful to his uncle, 
Mr. John, who brought him up like his own 
son — so people say.’ 

“ ‘ People do not always speak the truth ; we 


128 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


must find out for ourselves. Do you know 
where he lives.’ 

“ ‘ Yes, master.’ 

“ ‘ Well — to-morrow ! And now, about the 
others ; how is it with them ?’ 

“ ‘ Bad — I know nothing of them.’ 

“ ‘ How, you know nothing?’ 

“ ‘ Nothing ; they disappeared with their 
mother, when their father died, no one knows 
where.’ 

“ ‘ That is bad, indeed, Pompey. But we 
must have patience, and seek them. He who 
seeks, finds. Perhaps Ralph can tell me ; he 
must know, at least, where the children of his 
benefactor live. Enough, Pompey, to-morrow 
I will go and inquire, and see and hear for 
myself. Get me a suit of old clothes — I will 
visit Ralph ; and will soon find out the truth 
about him. Report often lies, I know; and 
perhaps, after all, my nephew is not as bad as 
he is represented.’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 1 29 

“ On the next morning, accordingly, the dis- 
guise was ready, and the old gentleman having 
put it on, informed himself exactly as to Ralph’s 
address, and went out. He stayed a long while, 
and when at length he returned, his sharp eyes 
were glowing with scorn, and he threw himself 
into an arm-chair, evidently in great perturba- 
tion. Pompey shrugged his shoulders ; he 
appeared to have foreseen the result of the 
experiment. Sir Robert sat silent for a long 
time, lost in thought, now and then biting his 
lips and frowning. 

“ ‘ Well ?’ asked Pompey, at last. 

“* What do you mean by “ Well?” ’ cried Sir 
Robert, impatiently. 

“ ‘ I mean, how was it, master ?’ 

“ ‘ Bad, Pompey ; altogether bad — terribly 
bad ! This time rumor spoke the truth. Worth- 
less fellow! Here, Pompey, take this bank- 
note, and put it away carefully ; I shall keep 
I 


130 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


it all my life to remind me of my nephew’s 
affection.’ 

“The old gentleman then related to his 
faithful servant all that we have heard so fully, 
sister, from you; only adding such remarks 
upon Ralph’s character and conduct as that 
gentleman would not have been pleased to hear. 
Sir Robert was entirely estranged from his 
nephew, and exceedingly indignant at his heart- 
lessness. Pompey listened silently until his 
master had exhausted the full measure of his 
wrath. At length, when he stopped speaking, 
the black inquired — 

“ 'What next, master? Ship to India?’ 

“ * Ship to India, blockhead !’ sputtered the 
testy old gentleman. ‘ Do you forget that 
there are others for me to find ? Can you sup- 
pose I would leave England without so much 
as inquiring after them ? They are needy ; 
perhaps they would be glad of my help — per- 
haps, Pompey, they would even receive a poor 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


131 

uncle with kindness ! No, we will stay ; we 
will hunt for them. We will not rest until we 
find them !’ 

Very good, master!’ answered the black, 
though not quite cheerfully. ‘ We shall have 
to stay a long while. London is large.’ 

And if I stay all my life,’ cried Sir Robert, 
‘ I will not be a villain like Ralph, who will 
leave his nearest relations to perish, for want 
of the aid he might so easily afford! We have 
time, Pompey; we will seek them, and there’s 
an end of it.’ 

“ Poor old Pompey could scarcely have been 
much delighted with this decision. He was 
longing for far-off India, where the sun shone 
bright and warm, where the sky was ever blue, 
and the breeze was gentle ; he was shivering in 
the chilly atmosphere of England, whose almost 
constant clouds and mists veiled the beauty of 
the heavens. Yet he was so truly attached to 
his master that he showed no ill-humor, but 


132 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


patiently accompanied him in his daily wander- 
ings through the city, and aided in the almost 
hopeless task of finding the poor orphans of 
John Elliot. 

“ For a long time the search was entirely 
unsuccessful, although Sir Robert availed him- 
self of the assistance of the police, and took 
every other means he could devise to find the 
children. The old gentleman not unfrequently 
bewailed aloud his ill success ; but Pompey 
comforted and encouraged him, and exhorted 
him to patience and perseverance ; then the 
search would recommence with renewed energy. 

“ One day, when the pair set out, as usual, 
upon their walk, Sir Robert put a handful of 
notes carelessly into his pocket, partly for the 
purpose of making purchases, and also that he 
might be provided in case he should wish to 
give alms. This time I chanced to be among 
the number, and I lay so loosely in his pocket 
as partly to hang out; I might easily have 


THREE BANK-NOTES. I 33 

gained my freedom, if I had desired it. But I 
felt so great an interest in Sir Robert, and in 
his anxious search for his brother’s children, 
that I had no desire to leave him. I lay, there- 
fore, quite .still, and contented myself with 
peeping out into the world, and observing what 
was going on around me. 

“ We wandered through many streets, listened 
here and there, stood still sometimes, and some- 
times entered houses, where Sir Robert sup- 
posed poor widows and orphans to live ; but 
nowhere found the objects of our search. There 
was no lack of poor people to whom Pompey, 
who carried his master’s pocket-book, distrib- 
uted alms according to the judgment of the 
latter. 

“ ‘ It is of no use — none at all !’ exclaimed 
Sir Robert, despairingly, as they came out of 
one of those abodes of want ; ‘ we only weary 
ourselves, without finding even a trace of 
them !’ 


12 


134 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ ‘All true, master !’ replied Pompey. ‘ But 
then, they are poor ! -If they were wealthy, or 
even comfortable, like Mr. Ralph, I would say 
with joy, home to India, master! But if they 
are suffering — oh, let us stay!’ pleaded the 
honest, kind-hearted old black. 

“‘Yes, yes, Pompey!’ sighed Sir Robert, 
feeling for his India silk-handkerchief, to wipe 
the drops of perspiration from his forehead; 
for the long walk, and the exertion of going up 
and down a flight of steep stairs, had been 
almost too much for him. ‘ Yes, we must stay ! 
For even if they should be as bad as Ralph, 
which I cannot believe, still they must be saved 
from absolute want. They are my brother’s 
children ; and he, as every one says, was a good 
man.’ 

“ With these words, Sir Robert put his hand- 
kerchief again into his pocket, but without 
paying the slightest attention to us bank-notes, 
and I received an unlucky pull, which, without 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 135 

his knowing it, brought me quite out of his 
pocket ; I fluttered down to the sidewalk, which, 
happily for me, was for a wonder entirely dry. 

I was not a little frightened, and rustled as 
loudly as I could, to call the attention of my 
heedless owner, from whom, as I have said, 
I was quite unwilling to be separated. But Sir 
Robert and Pompey went on, and I lay at the 
mercy of chance ; the first passing breeze might 
take me up and carry me, who knows where ? 
But I was not destined to lie there very long. 
A slender, handsome youth, with a pale coun- 
tenance, but with clear, honest-looking eyes, 
saw me — and saw, too, that I had fallen from 
Sir Robert’s pocket. He picked me up quickly, 
and, instead of putting me into his own pocket, 
as I expected he would do, he held me in his 
hand, ran after Sir Robert, and, taking off his 
cap respectfully, said to him — 

“ ‘ Here, sir ! this fell out of your pocket.’ 

“Sir Robert looked surprised. With an 


136 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


observant eye he looked at the boy’s clothing, 
which was very, very poor and threadbare, 
but scrupulously clean, and then shook his 
head with wonder and admiration. Pompey 
also regarded the youth with so curious a gaze, 
that he stood before the two men in some em- 
barrassment — 

“‘Take it, sir, it is yours,’ he repeated. 
‘ It fell from your pocket when you put in 
your handkerchief. I saw it fall, and picked 
it up.’ 

“ ‘ Psha !’ said Sir Robert at last, ‘ I know 
nothing about it.’ 

“ ‘ But I know, sir,’ persisted the young man. 
‘ I assure you I saw it fall ; I never tell a false- 
hood, sir.’ 

“ ‘ I can very well believe you are not telling 
me one,’ replied Sir Robert ; ‘ neither do you 
look like a liar, young man. You seem to be 
a child of honest parents, and to be an honor- 
able fellow yourself! Keep the bank-note ; I 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 1 37 

do not need it at all, and perhaps you may. 
An honest youth, is he not, Pompey ?’ 

“‘Yes, indeed! Good face T replied the 
servant, with an almost affectionate look at the 
boy. ‘ Give him the note !’ 

“ * But I do not wish you to give it to me, 
sir !’ exclaimed the boy. ‘ I am, as you say, 
the child of honorable parents; and I do not 
beg my bread ; I earn it.’ 

“ ‘ Still, you are poor, young man, you are 
poor!’ said Sir Robert. 

“ ‘ Certainly I am ; but poverty is no dis- 
grace, if one works, and is honest and faithful.’ 

“‘No, no, it is no disgrace, my dear boy, 
none at all!’ said Sir Robert. ‘You do not 
beg, I know ; still I may make you a present 
of the note — keep it, I beseech you ! But stop 
— no ! Give me the note, it is worth taking 
care of ; is it not, Pompey ?’ 

“ ‘ Yes, master!’ replied the latter; and while 

Sir Robert received me from the boy’s hand, 
12* 


I38 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

v 

and was whispering some words to his servant, 
the youth had hurried away. 

“ * Where is he ?’ cried Sir Robert, turning 
around. ‘ Pompey, you old blockhead, have 
you let him go ? Oh, there he is, I see him ! 
After him, quick! Pompey; we must not let 
him slip through our fingers; I have some- 
thing good in my mind for him. Make haste, 
Pompey !’ 

“ The boy was easily distinguished by his 
cap, and not only Pompey but Sir Robert him- 
self ran after him with redoubled speed. The 
old gentleman, however, was soon exhausted; 
he panted for breath, and great drops streamed 
from his forehead. Pompey observed it. 

“ ‘ Do not hurry so fast, master !’ he said, 
still going on, and keeping the youth in sight. 
‘ Stay behind, and leave me to follow the young 
man. I am not tired ; I promise, I will not let 
him escape me. But you, master, go home ! 
Pompey will bring you news of the good boy !’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


139 


"‘Well, well, you are right; I can go no 
further/ Sir Robert gasped out, with difficulty. 
‘Follow him, Pompey, see where he lives, do 
anything you can for him. Be quick !’ 

“The old gentleman stopped, and stood 
looking after his trusty servant, until after 
some seconds the black disappeared amid the 
crowds that filled the street. 

Success to him !’ murmured Sir Robert. 
‘ I shall be very sorry if he loses sight of the 
boy. What a fine-looking young fellow ! And 
so honorable with all his poverty ! He would 
not beg, nor even take the note as a gift ; and 
then off like a feather on the wind ! Splendid 
boy ! I am delighted with him. I must see 
him again, and become better acquainted with 
him. Perhaps he might learn to love me, if 
he should find that I mean him only kindness. 
He would be a treasure to me ; and to Pom- 
pey, too! I saw how the old fellow’s eyes 
glistened with pleasure at the sight of the boy’s 


140 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


honesty and fine manners. And that bank- 
note — I will keep it in memory of what has 
happened to-day! Oh, he has pleased me too 
well, that boy ! I will keep the note, indeed, 
and lay it with Ralph’s, that the recollection 
of this brave boy may console me for the heart- 
lessness of my miserable nephew.!’ 

“ And, as carefully as if I had been an inesti- 
mable treasure, he laid me in his pocket-book. 
Then I heard him call a coach to take him 
home, as he was much fatigued. We rolled 
swiftly through the streets, and having at last 
arrived at Sir Robert’s house, he took me from 
his pocket and laid me in this casket, where I 
found you, sister. We did not then expect 
that a third would so soon be added to our 
number. 

“ I was very much pleased to know that I 
should remain always in the possession of Sir 
Robert Elliot, whom I had learned to like so 
well. I was also quite satisfied with the place 


THREE BANK-NOTES. I4I 

assigned us, since, through the open arabesque 
of our casket, everything that goes on around 
us could be seen and heard. I awaited then 
the return of Pompey, and his report concern- 
ing the young man we had met in the street, 
with an interest scarcely less than that of Sir 
Robert himself, whose anxious impatience was 
quite evident. 

“ At last, after some hours, Pompey returned. 
His homely old black countenance shone with 
delight, his eyes rolled, his broad mouth was 
laughing from ear to ear, showing all his white 
pearly teeth. 

“ ‘ Well, what news ?’ exclaimed Sir Robert, 
darting like a bird of prey upon the black. 
‘ Did you follow the boy ? Where did you 
come up with him ? Speak quickly !’ 

“ ‘ Ha, ha, ha !’ laughed Pompey, with wide 
open mouth. 

“ ‘ Ha, ha, ha — you old blockhead !’ mimicked 
Sir Robert. ‘ What of the boy? What is his 


142 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

name, and where does he live ? Will you 
speak ?’ 

“ ‘ Ha, ha, ha !’ laughed Pompey again. ‘A 
good story; a fine joke, master !’ 

“‘But tell me, then, what you mean, will 
you ?’ cried Sir Robert, stamping impatiently. 

‘ What have you discovered about him ?’ 

“More than you think, perhaps, master/ 
replied Pompey, triumphantly; and, half in 
excitement, half amusing himself with his 
master’s impatience, privileged old servant as 
he was, he began to laugh again. Sir Robert 
was now really angry, and rose with a threat- 
ening gesture, which brought the old black to 
his senses. Pompey stepped back a pace or 
two, begging pardon. 

“ ‘ Patience, master, patience !’ he said, making 
an effort to restrain the laugh that would come 
in spite of him. ‘ Pompey in earnest now. 
Listen, master, Pompey will tell ! I ran after 
the boy as fast I could, but he was so quick 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


143 


that I should have lost sight of him after all if 
he had not stopped at a picture store, which 
he entered. I looked through the window, and 
saw him take a package of pretty little pictures 
from his pocket, which he offered to the dealer 
for sale. But, whether the young man asked 
too much for them, or the dealer did not need 
them, he hastily folded them up again, and 
putting them in his pocket, came out of the 
store looking troubled, and went away again, 
almost too fast for me to follow. Just then I 
saw a hackney-coach; so I jumped in, pointed 
out the youth to the coachman, and promised 
him three times his fare if he would keep him 
in sight.’ 

“ ‘ Right, Pompey ; that was just the thing !’ 
exclaimed Sir Robert. ‘ Well, then ?’ 

Yqs, then !’ Pompey continued; 'my coach- 
man was a knowing man. He followed the 
young man, and watched him go into several 
other picture stores. Everywhere he offered 


144 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


his little pictures, but it seemed he could not 
find any one to buy. I was so sorry for him I 
would have bought his pictures ; but then he 
would have known that I was watching him, 
and would have slipped away, as he did at first. 
So I went on after him, until at last he sold the 
pictures for two little silver pieces, which he 
put in his pocket, and hurried off in another 
direction.’ 

“‘Now, quick, keep your eyes open l’ I 
called to the man. ‘ He must be going home, 
and I want to know where lives.’ 

“ ‘ The coachman had not forgotten my 
promise, and kept close on the boy’s heels, 
following him from one street to another, till 
at last we reached a distant part of the city, 
where only very poor people live. The streets 
grew narrower, darker, dirtier; but the coach- 
man still kept on, until at last the young man 
went into an unpleasant, smoky-looking old 
building.’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


145 

“ * Now stop !’ I called to the coachman. 
‘ Here is a guinea ; now wait a little while 
until I come out.’ 

“ ‘ I’ll wait till the end of next week/ answered 
the fellow, who looked very much pleased with 
the gold piece. Then I went into the house 
after our young man. 

“ ‘ Well, there I was ; but I did not know 
just what to do next. In which story should 
I find him ? Downstairs or upstairs ? I thought 
a minute, and then knocked at the nearest 
door. An elderly woman came out, and I 
asked her whether a young man lived in that 
house who painted pictures. At first the 
woman was frightened at my black face ; but 
when I held a silver shilling up before it, it did 
not look so terrible, and she got over her fright 
very quickly.’ 

“‘Yes, yes, indeed,’ she answered. “All 

the way upstairs, three stories high — in the 

garret.’ 

13 


K 


46 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ ‘ That was all I wanted to know just then, 
so I gave her the shilling, and went up. When 
I got to the top of the third flight of stairs, I 
found the door of the room not quite closed. 
I could hear the young man’s voice as he was 
speaking within ; and this time, Sir Robert, I 
did listen a little to know what he said. It was 
not wrong — was it, master ?’ 

“ ‘ Silly old fellow !’ said Sir Robert. * Go 
on !’ 

“ ‘ Well, then,’ Pompey went on. ‘ I stepped 
on tiptoe closer, put my ear to the crack and 
listened. There were three voices ; that of our 
young man, a child’s voice, and the voice of a 
young girl, whom the others called Helen. It 
was easy to understand that they were brother 
and sisters.’ 

“ ‘ It is very little, Willy, for so much trouble/ 
said the young girl, just as I put my ear to 
the door; meaning, I suppose, that he had 
not received enough for the pictures he had 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


147 


sold. * I am afraid you will lose all courage, 
Willy !’ 

“ ‘ No, Helen ; oh, no, dear sister, I will not !’ 
said our young man. ‘ I was sorry, it is true, 
that I could not bring you more than these 
two shillings ; yet still that is something. And 
it will go still better when Mary is able to help 
me, as she promised.’ 

“ ‘ Of course it will,’ said the child ; ‘ I have 
been very diligent, Willy ; and if you will have 
patience with me, I shall soon learn to do 
nicely.’ 

“ ‘ Bravo, Mary !’ said our boy. ‘ We must 
both be diligent, so that our dear Helen may 
not have to sit late at night at her embroidery 
frame. Ah, Helen, it is too much for you ! 
When I think how hard you have to work for 
every shilling you earn, I am almost sorry I 
did not accept that bank-note.’ 

“ ‘ What bank-note, Willy ?’ inquired Helen, 
in a tone of surprise. 


48 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ ‘ Oh, it fell out of an old gentleman’s pocket 
to the pavement, without his noticing it. I saw 
it and picked it up, and gave it to him. He 
would have given it to me ; but it seemed to 
me too much like begging, and I refused it and 
hurried away. Perhaps it was foolish! The 
old gentleman looked so kind and friendly, and 
offered it to me, I am sure, out of pure good- 
will.’ 

“‘How? What?’ interrupted Sir Robert. 
‘ What did the young fellow say about me ?’ 

“ ‘ Why, that you looked kind and friendly, 
master,’ replied Pompey, w r ith a grin; ‘just 
like a true, good-hearted man ! Does it please 
you so much that the youth should praise 
you ?’• 

“ ‘ And why should it not please me ?’ an- 
swered Sir Robert. ‘ Nobody praises me so 
often! Surely not you, you thankless old 
scamp ! Well, go on ! What more, Pompey ? 
The poor children interest me.’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


149 


“ * I see they do, master ! And Pompey, too ! 
Well, the boy, whom they called Willy, praised 
you, as I have said, and thought perhaps he 
ought to have taken the bank-note ; but his 
sister Helen, and even little Mary, did not 
agree with him.' ‘ No, no/ I heard Helen say. 
‘ such a trifling service as that should be done 
without pay. You did right, Willy. I should 
have been ashamed if you had accepted the 
money. So long as we can work we will not 
beg.’ 

“ ‘ Well, sister, so I thought/ replied Willy. 
‘And, besides, I had my pictures in my pocket, 
and hoped to get more for them than I did. If 
I had known how little I should receive, I can- 
not tell what I might have done/ 

“‘No, no, Willy, no regrets!’ said Helen. 
* We are not in such need. Our winter provi- 
sions are laid in, and we still have a pound 
note in case of any emergency. Courage, dear 

brother! We are as careful and economical 
13* 


150 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

as we know how to be ; and, besides, we are 
poor orphans ; and orphans, you know, have 
special promises from our Father in Heaven. 
“I will provide for the fatherless,” He says; 
and we need never fear that we shall suffer 
want. He will take the place of both father 
and mother to us !’ 

“ ‘ Well, master,’ Pompey continued, t when 
I heard that these good, hard-working, pious 
children were orphans — poor, fatherless and 
motherless orphans, I felt so much for them 
that I could contain myself no longer. I should 
have liked to go into the room, and give 
them all the money in the pocket-book ; 
but that they wouldn’t have let me do ; and, 
besides, it would have spoiled your pleasure. 
So, instead of going in, I came down stairs 
again to the woman I had seen before. I 
showed her another shilling, and asked her 
to tell me something about the children. 
Oh, master, I wish you could have been 


THREE BANK-NOTES. I 5 I 

there, and heard with your own ears what she 
said — 

“ ‘ Angels,’ she called them ; ‘ dear, good 
angels ! Industrious, pious, charitable, and 
friendly. They are the same thing from morn- 
ing until night, especially Helen. She takes 
such care of the others ! When Willy was sick 
for some weeks, she sat day and night by his 
bedside, nursing and watching over him. Such 
good, faithful children could scarcely be found 
anywhere else in London.’ 

“ ‘ And did you not inquire their family name, 
Pompey ? I suppose you did not think of it, 
you old blockhead !’ 

“ ‘ Pompey did think ! Pompey knows all ; 
only have patience !’ replied the servant. ‘ What 
the woman said was not enough, and I put in a 
word or two here and there, as if I could not 
believe them to be quite so good. But she 
declared she had not praised them more than 
they deserved, and told me if I could not be- 


152 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


lieve her, that I should go to Doctor Harper 
and he would tell me still more. Well, I did 
so, for I wanted to know all about the young 
people. And you should have heard the doctor ! 
He could not find words enough to say all the 
good he thought of them — so faithful, so true, 
so upright, and good. He told me even more 
than the old woman had done, and I was satis- 
fied and came home.’ 

“‘Very good, Pompey!’ said Sir Robert, 
impatiently. ‘ But the name ; what are the 
children called?’ 

“ ‘ What they are called ? Now guess, 
master ! ? 

“‘You old blockhead! How should I guess 
the name of these strange children ?’ exclaimed 
Sir Robert, half vexed, half laughing. ‘ Tell 
me their name, instantly !’ 

“ ‘ But, master, do you notice nothing 
at all, then?’ cried Pompey, laughing again 
from his overflowing excitement and mirth. 


THREE BANK-NOTES. I 5 3 

‘How many children had your brother, Mr. 
John?’ 

Mt Three! But you do not mean — Pom- 
pey, you cannot mean, that — ■ 

“ ‘ That our good young man is your nephew, 
William Elliot ?’ cried Pompey. ‘ I do, I do, 
master! That is just the truth; and Miss 
Helen and Miss Mary are your nieces. And 
now you know all, master ! Now you know 
why Pompey laughed so! Indeed, master, I 
could not help laughing for joy that Sir Robert 
had found his relations ; that they are so good, 
and will be such a pleasure to him. Bless God ! 
Hurrah !’ 

And the trusty servant burst out laughing 
again, and, old as he was, almost danced for 
joy. 

“ ‘ Pompey, my dear Pompey, is this all true ?’ 
cried Sir Robert, in delighted astonishment. 
‘ Speak ! tell me again — is it true ?’ 

“ ‘ True, master, every word !’ answered Pom- 


154 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

pey, laying his hand on his heart, and rolling 
his eyes, as if in solemn confirmation of his 
news. 'The youth of the bank-note is om 
young man, our nephew, and the two sweet 
sisters are our nieces ! Isn’t that plain enough, 
master? William, Helen, Mary Elliot — chil- 
dren of John Elliot. Do you understand it, 
master?’ 

“ ‘ Not another word, Pompey. Call for the 
carriage !’ ordered Sir Robert. 

" ' And why ?’ asked the black. 

" ' Because I must go out at once !’ 

“ ' Where, master ?’ 

" ‘ Where, master ? To my poor, dear, orphan 
children, of course ! Call the carriage, imme- 
diately !’ 

“ ' No hurry, master,’ replied Pompey. ' It 
is time enough to-morrow, and Pompey tired ; 
too late for to-day,’ he added, settling himself 
comfortably in the chimney-corner. 

“ ‘ I will go alone, then, you stiff-necked old 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 1 5 5 

scamp !’ cried Sir Robert, with his usual im- 
patience. 

“ * Well, master ! but you cannot find them. 
To-morrow, master !’ returned Pompey again, 
with the most imperturbable coolness. 

“Sir Robert scolded for a few moments — 
the old servant listened patiently and respect- 
fully, and then said — 

“ ‘ But, master, why not try the children, as 
well as Mr. Ralph ? To-morrow put on poor 
clothes; go and hear, and see, for yourself? 
Why not, master ? That was what you meant 
to do.’ 

You’re right, Pompey!’ said his master, 
as quickly pacified as excited, and extending 
his hand to his faithful old Servant. ‘ I had 
forgotten ! Yes, I will test them first, and then 
decide. Who knows ? perhaps, after all, they 
are worthless too !’ 

“ ‘ Ha, ha, ha !’ laughed Pompey. 

“ 4 What is there to laugh at ?’ exclaimed Sir 


156 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

Robert. ‘ If they are so poor as you think, 
they may well hesitate to receive a beggarly 
old uncle.’ 

“ ‘ Ha, ha, ha !’ laughed the black again. 
‘ Pompey knows better ! They will divide 
their last shilling with the old uncle ! Pompey 
knows.’ 

“ e You old blockhead, with your laughing !’ 
grumbled Sir Robert. ‘ Well, we shall see — 
we shall see !’ 

“ ‘To-morrow, yes !’ said Pompey. ‘ Good, 
all good ! They would give their last shilling. 
Pompey knows. Ha, ha, ha !’ 

“ On the next morning, having resumed his 
disguise, Sir Robert left the house, accom- 
panied by Ponlpey. What happened while 
they were absent I do not know, for I could 
not leave the casket ; only — ” 

“ Stop !” here interrupted the first bank-note. 
“ I can relate what followed, for I was present, 
and heard every word. On the morning, then, 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 1 57 

of which you speak, my dear sister, the three 
orphans had been sitting at the table since sun- 
rise, working industriously, when they heard 
footsteps outside their door, accompanied by 
Sir Robert’s well-feigned cough. There was a 
knock ; Helen cried — 

“ ‘ Come in!’ and the old beggar entered, just 
as you, dear sister, have already described him, 
looking sharply, yet with tenderness in his 
eyes, at the young people. They, on their 
part, regarded their extraordinary visitor with 
surprise. Even William failed to recognize the 
old gentleman in his present attire, though he 
had seen him but the day before. 

“ ‘ My children,’ said Sir Robert, ‘ have you 
ever heard that your father had a brother living 
in the East Indies ?’ 

“ Helen gave instant attention, and her fine 
eyes sparkled with interest. 

“ ‘ Uncle Robert ?’ she exclaimed. ‘ Yes, yes, 
14 


158 THREE BANK-NOTES. 

sir! Our dear father has often talked to us of 
him. Don’t you remember, Willy ?’ 

“ ‘ Indeed I do !’ answered Willy. * Father 
was so sorry that uncle never let us hear 
from him. I have often heard him ex- 
press pain that he knew so little of his brother. 
But, sir, have you any news for us from our 
uncle ?’ 

“‘You must have seen him!’ said Helen. 
‘ Pray tell us !’ 

“ ‘ Have you not read this, Miss Elliot ?’ 
asked the old gentleman, handing her the news- 
paper, and pointing to the paragraph of which 
you, my sisters, have both spoken. Helen 
read it aloud, and exclaimed — 

“ ‘ Oh, my poor uncle ! Willy, what can we 
do ? We are ourselves so poor ; and yet he 
is more unfortunate ! He must count upon 
our assistance, such as it may be. We cannot 
leave him to his fate, unaided !’ 

“ ‘ But what can we do, Helen ?’ asked Willy. 


THREE BANK-NOTES. I 59 

‘He is so far from us — if he were only in 
London !’ 

“ * Well, if he were here, what would you do 
then ?’ inquired Sir Robert. 

“ ‘ What a question, sir !’ exclaimed Helen. 
‘ We would share what we have, little as it is, 
with him. You smile, sir. Ask my brother 
— ask even little Mary ; and, even though 
he should find us absolutely penniless, he 
might at least count on love and sympathy, 
and an earnest will to comfort him in his 
troubles/ 

“ ‘ Love ? Sympathy ? He might be sure 
of those, if he were still rich/ 

“ Helen turned away offended, and Willy 
exclaimed — 

“ ‘ For shame, sir ! Is it kind to insult true 
and well-meaning hearts, that express to you 
their sincere feelings ? It is an injury to my 
sister, and to all of us, sir!’ 

“‘You were really in earnest, then?’ said 


6o 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


Sir Robert. ‘You would truly offer love and 
consolation to the old man in his trouble? 
But suppose you find him weak and sick, and 
embittered by misfortune ?’ 

“ ‘ So much the more would it be our duty 
to care for him. Do you not know, sir, that 
those who have felt the pressure of misfor- 
tune themselves, are best able to sympathize 
with others that suffer ? Do not doubt us, sir. 
Take us to our uncle. Where is he ?’ 

“ * Here, in London. Do you then really 
wish to visit the poor old man ?’ queried Sir 
Robert, his eyes brightening. 

“ ‘ Yes, yes, at once ! And as he must be in 
need, we will take this money with us, Willy. 
We have a five-pound note here, we will share it 
with him. Then he must come and live with us 
— our small lodgings are still large enough to 
accommodate him too. We will give him our 
room ; we will work twice as hard, and while 
we are busy, our uncle will tell us about the 


THREE BANK-NOTES. l6l 

distant countries he has seen, and about all his 
travels and adventures. It will be pleasant, 
Willy, don’t you think so ?’ 

“ ‘ Certainly, sister. Come, sir, let us go to 
him.’ 

“ Sir Robert passed his hand over his eyes, 
and stood still. 

“ My children,’ he said at last, ‘ consider well 
what you would do. I have fulfilled my 
commission, not to disappoint the wish of a 
distressed old man; but for you, who have 
nothing to depend on but your own labor, this 
would be too great a burden.’ 

“ ‘ It is no matter, sir,’ replied Helen. * That 
is our care. Only let us hasten to him.’ 

“ Sir Robert stood motionless, but his lips 
quivered, and deep and powerful emotions 
shone from his eyes. 

“ ‘ And this note,’ he said, in a half-choked 
voice, * this note — it is your last one, and you 
would share it with the old uncle, whom you 

14* L 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


162 

have never seen ; who has never even written 
to you ?’ 

“ ‘ Yes, yes, certainly ! Why do you ask?’ 
cried Willy, impatiently. ‘ I beg of you, sir, 
no more delays : let us go.’ 

“ ‘ Stay ! we do not need to go,’ exclaimed 
Sir Robert, extending his arms, while a tear 
trembled in his eye, and his frame shook with 
emotion. * Come to my heart, my dear children. 
I am your Uncle Robert !’ 

“For an instant the children stood in astonish- 
ment ; then, with one accord, they threw them- 
selves into the old man’s arms. Helen wept ; 
William and Mary rejoiced aloud, and all wel- 
comed their uncle with lively and heartfelt joy. 

“ ‘ My dear, dear children, is it thus you 
would welcome your poor old uncle ?’ he cried. 
‘ Oh, Lord, I thank Thee, that Thou hast suf- 
fered me to find these loving hearts! Helen, 
dear, kind Helen, will you really share your 
last note with me ?’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 1 63 

“ ‘ Indeed I will, dear uncle, with pleasure ! 
Must we not share all things henceforth ?’ 

“ Before Sir Robert could answer, a half- 
repressed sob was heard without — all paused 
to listen. A ray of pleasure flitted over Sir 
Robert’s countenance. 

“ ‘ Pompey, my old Pompey ! the faithful 
creature !’ he exclaimed. * He has heard all. 
•Come in, old fellow ! See what a treasure I 
have found. Come in, you black fellow, with a 
white heart and a golden spirit ; come in, and 
rejoice with your master, who is almost out of 
his head with happiness.’ 

“And he drew the black in through the 
open door, weeping and sobbing like a child, 
and seeming ready to fall at the feet of the 
young people. 

“‘Old Pompey too happy!’ he cried, with 
broken voice. ‘Sir Robert happy, Pompey 
happy — all happy ! Now stay here, and not go 
back to India. Oh, master, all so good !’ 


164 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


“ Helen, William and Mary, looked on in 
fresh amazement, utterly unable to comprehend 
this new demonstration. Some recollection 
seemed to be awakened in Willy’s mind of the 
day before, of the old gentlman and his black 
companion. Then the boy shook his head. 
That person must have been a rich man, and 
his newly found uncle was apparently very 
poor. 

“ ‘ Pompey,’ Sir Robert was saying, ‘ did you 
hear ? They will share all they have with us, 
even this last five-pound note, Pompey !’ 

“ ‘ I heard, master. We share — all.’ 

“ ‘ Yes, all,’ cried Sir Robert, with that bright 
look of his. ‘ All, all, all, except this bank- 
note ! This remains mine — it is my own ; and 
I will not part with it for all the treasures of 
Peru. Good things come in threes , Pompey ; 
we have two already put away at home — this 
makes the third. They shall be laid up in gold, 
and preserved to the end of my life. And you, 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


165 


children — my children, what astonishes you so 
much ? I see you wonder at my words ; don’t 
you understand ? Don’t you see that the news- 
paper report was all a mistake, and that I have 
only used it to try you, and see whether you 
could love and receive your unknown uncle for 
duty’s sake — for Christ’s sake, even as one of 
His poor? Now, see this !’ and he pulled from 
his pocket notes and silver and gold, and threw 
them on the table so rashly in his excitement, 
that they fell in every direction. ‘ See, children, 
it was all a mistake ! My ships did not go 
down, and I still have riches, thank God, to 
make you all comfortable ; but the richest 
thing He has given me is your pious, tender 
young hearts. All I have is yours, my chil- 
dren — we will share all ; only come and live 
with me, and be mine !’ 

“ Helen wept again, Willy’s face was radiant, 
Mary rejoiced, Pompey laughed and sobbed at 
once, and Sir Robert pressed them all by turns 


1 66 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


to his heart, not excepting his trusty old servant 
In a short time, however, they all became 
calmly happy, in the assurance that they had 
found all that each one needed, and that a new 
life of loving activity was about to commence 
for all. 

“ The rest you know as well as I, dear sis- 
ters,” said the bank-note, in conclusion. “All 
came together to Sir Robert’s beautiful man- 
sion. I was placed here with you in our golden, 
crystal casket, and every day since, we have 
had the pleasure of watching the happiness 
and content of this family, so worthy of all they 
enjoy. We rejoice in the sight; we rejoice in 
the generous Sir Robert, the honest, trusty 
Pompey, the gentle, beautiful Helen, and her 
brother and sister, and the good doctor, their 
intimate friend and almost daily visitor. And 
while we lie here as happy mementoes of that 
trying time, and, as they say, of the wonderful 
care and providence of God, it is not our least 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


167 


pleasure to see so many of our sisters sent out 
to cheer the sorrowing, the needy and despair- 
ing, who, we well know, sisters, are to be found 
all over the land. Certainly, neither one of us 
desires to leave this happy home.” 

“No, no,” replied the two others; and the 
second note added, “ Particularly since I have 
heard anew of the hypocrisy of Ralph. Do you 
remember how he came lately and humbled 
himself before his rich uncle, promising repent- 
ance and amendment if he would but forgive 
him and take him into favor?” 

“ We shall never forget that, nor what answer 
Sir Robert made him. ‘ I can forgive you, 
Ralph/ he said, ‘ but as to favor, do not let us 
tall! of that until you have shown by your life 
that your repentance is sincere. Ask forgive- 
ness for all that you have done amiss, of One 
higher than I ! Ask pardon of God, through 
Christ, for your ingratitude and cruelty to your 
benefactor and his children ; for your heartless 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


1 68 

conduct towards me, when you supposed me a 
poor, sickly old man — for all your evil words 
and ways. May His Spirit aid you to lead a 
better life ! I give you here/ he added, ‘ the 
value of the note you bestowed on me. Look/ 
and he opened this casket, and showed him us 
notes, telling him with what design we were 
kept here. 4 This one is in memory of the day 
when you turned me from your door; but 
Ralph, if by your life you show me that your 
repentance is sincere and lasting, I will blot 
out that memory, and the note shall pass away 
to further whatever charitable deed you may 
wish to perform. 

“ ‘ But if you should be in distress or want, 
Ralph, you may apply to me freely. I cannot 
forget that you are the son of my dear brother 
Edward ; whatever your course may be, I will 
not see my brother’s son in want. Go, and 
may the Lord give you a true heart, which is 
better than gold and silver.’ 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 1 69 

“ He went, sisters, and I scarcely think he 
will ever return.” 

“Or I,” said the first bank-note “ But see, 
sisters, the night is almost over; the morning 
begins to dawn; it is time to rest. Good 
night!” 

“Good night! good night!” whispered the 
other two little voices; the three tiny figures 
slipped from the golden arabesque over the 
rim of the casket ; the crystal lid closed, and 
deep silence again reigned around. Only the 
clock kept up its incessant movement, measur- 
ing the passing moments with its steady tick ! 
tick ! tick ! 

Still the moon’s steady rays shone through 
the high bay windows into the quiet room, 
but listening no more, for the little whis- 
pering beings were now silent, and slumber- 
ing sweetly like the happy human creatures 
whose wonderful story they had related to each 
other. 


70 


THREE BANK-NOTES. 


There is a moral to this little story, though 
taught by only 

§hree §;mh=£oh?>. 



* 



1S55. 1S75. 

LUTHERAN PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 

No. 42 NORTH NINTH STREET, PHILADELPHIA. 

* 7 . K. SJiryocJc, Superintendent. 


E take pleasure in announcing to the 
Church and to the Trade in general, that 
we have commenced the publication of 
the 

(JJailwImut pmcs, 

as follows : 

‘THE COTTAGE BY THE LAKE” 

Translated from the German of Martin Claudius, by 
Miss R. H. Sciiively. “When the need is sorest God’s 
help is nearest.” 

16mo, Cloth, a Beautiful Frontispiece, 160 pages, $0.75. 

“ This volume will supply a want in our Sunday-school 
Libraries, to which the Religious Press has called attention 
— books of a more devotional and evangelical character. 
The Wilmer Family is characterized by all that makes the 

I 




2 


‘Schoenberg Cotta Family ’ so univeisally attractive. * * * 
We can confidently recommend this book, translated with 
all elegance of diction, and with all the w ninth and pathos 
of the German heart. * * * All classes will be instructed 
and elevated by this kind of literature. It has charms for 
the youthful and the mature, and will profit every one ” — 
Mrs, E. B. S. 


“IN THE MIDST OFTHE NORTH SEA.” 

From the German of Marie Roskowska, by 
J. F. Smith, Esq. 

16mo, Cloth, Two Engravings, $0.75. 

A story of life upon one of the lonely little islands (or 
llalligen) lying in the North Sea off the German coast. 
The loneliness and the dangers accompanying a residence 
upon these barren, marshy spots, are dramatically described, 
and the characteristics of the two families are painted most 
naturally. The incidents of “ Lost in the Fog,” “ The 
Shipwreck,” and “The Inundation,” are full of interest; 
and the earnest piety that pervades the narrative will recom- 
mend it to any Christian family or Sabbath School. The 
tale is full of excitement, and yet is anything but sensational. 

*o« 

“ANTON, THE FISHERMAN.” 

By Franz Hoffmann. Translated by Mrs. M. A. 
Manderson. 

16mo, Cloth. Three Fine Original Engravings, $0.85. 

“ A very interesting story of humble life, illustrating do- 
mestic happiness, and the prevalence of industry, manliness, 
and integrity — together with the providential deliverances 
that sometimes occur in the midst of the trials that beset 
the believing poor.” — The Lutheran and Missionary 
f'hiladelphia. 


3 


“Anton, the Fisherman.” — “We call the special a* 
tention of the public to this beautiful book, just issued 
by the Lutheran Board of Publication. It is from the 
famous Hoffmann of Dresden, who has won a world-wide 
fame as the writer of popular stories for the young. The 
translation is so natural and graceful, that no one would 
suspect its German origin. The book is in the best style 
of book-making, and has elicited universal admiration. 
Let the Church encourage our publications, with a prompt, 
cheerful, and generous patronage . 5 ’ — Lutheran Observer. 


“Rene, the Little Savoyard.” 

By Franz Hoffmann. Translated by J. F. Smith, Esq. 
16mo, Cloth, Two Excellent Original Engravings, $0.35. 

“ I have just read with great pleasure, ‘ Ren<£,’ in your 
very attractive Fatherland Series. It is a brilliant little 
story, and is well translated. The children (and their 
parents) will be delighted with these pure and beautiful 
books, which I hope may have the wide circulation they 
deserve.” Yours, C. P. Krauth. 


“FRITZ; OR, FILIAL LOVE.” 

By Franz Hoffmann. Translated by M. A. Manderson 
16mo, Cloth, One First Class Original Engraving, $0.65. 

“A charming story, founded upon the life of one of 
Frederick the Great’s generals. The healthy pious tone 
that pervades the book, as well as the literary merit, should 
reedmmend it to every family and Sunday-school Lilvary. 
We venture to say that no boy will read this pleasant nar- 
rative without wishing to know mere of Prussia’s great 
king. 


“GEYER WALTY; 

OR, FIDELITY REWARDED.” 

By Franz Hoffmann. Translated by M. A. Manderson 
16mo, Cloth, Seven Superior Original Engravings, 

drawn by D. R. Knight, Esq., and engraved by Van Ingen & Snyder, u 
their very best manner, and printed on the best quality of plate paper. 

We have no fear, in offering this beautiful book to our 
patrons, that they will not be pleased with it, either in a 
literary or artistic point of view. Geyer Walty is a sturdy, 
healthy story, worth reading by young or by old, and will 
bear comparison with the best tales of its class. No pains 
have been spared upon this volume, the translation and en- 
gravings being all original , and of the most expensive 
character. 

The present book is the last of the first set of the Fa 
therlaxd Series. The 6 volumes will be put up in an 
extf'a neat case , and will be sold at $5.00, including the box. 

Other Volumes are in preparation, and will be pub- 
lished as rapidly as possible. We trust that in future The 
Lutheran Church will feel that the interests of our 
Sunday Schools will not be neglected. 

We call upon the entire Church to aid us in our efforts. 

The Board of Publication have entered upon this under- 
taking by no means unadvisedly. Co-operating with numer- 
ous German scholars well read in this class of literature, 
we have selected a series of works to be published as 
rapidly as circumstances will permit — works that will 
surely commend themselves to all interested in the Sunday 
School and the family. 

The genuine rdligious sentiment, the touching pathos, the 
heartsomeness, as well as the dramatic interest of these 
stories of Hoffmann, of Horn, and of kindred writers, are 
well known to the German reader; and we trust by oui 


5 


translations to make Gtrman thought be;ter known to the 
youthful English reader, whom we hope to familiarize with 
scenes and incidents of the Fatherland. 

We ask the kind consideration and countenance of the 
Book Trade generally, but particularly of those engaged 
in the publishing and sale of Sunday-school books. 

We add a few of the many flattering notices we have 
received from our friends. 

The Fatherland Series. From the German. Phila- 
delphia : Lutheran Board of Publication. — “Under this 
title the Lutheran Board of Publication have begun what 
promises to be an interesting and useful series of Sunday- 
school books. They comprise translations from some of 
the best German writers for the young, carefully selected 
from an evangelical stand-point, with a view to make Ger- 
man thought better known to English youthful readers, and 
to familiarize them with the scenes and incidents of German 
life. The two volumes just issued are entitled, ‘In the 
Midst of the North Sea,’ and ‘Anton, the Fisherman.’ 
Both are interesting, capital books, having a good deal of 
dramatic power, and pervaded by a beautiful Christian 
fa.th and simplicity. The first named shows the sad evils 
of an envious, jealous spirit; and the last is a testimony 
to the sure word of Scripture, ‘ Trust in the Lord and do 
good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt 
t>e fed .*” — The Sunday-school Tunes. 

Lawrence , Kansas , March I, 1870. 

“Your books lately published, ‘In the Midst of the 
North Sea,’ and ‘Anton, the Fisherman,’ are first rate, and 
with such books your reputation will soon be established. 
I am well pleased with your commendable efforts and 
success in gef ting out good bx>kr. 

“Yours, H. P. Belmer.” 


8 


York) Pa., April A„ 1870. 

“ Please send me ‘Cottage by the Lake.’ The othe 
volumes of the Fatherland Series I have. I am much 
pleased with the books. If you publish a thousand volumes, 
send them all to me, and draw on me for the amount they 
cost. J. H. Menges.” 

Lockport , April 9, 1870. 

“ Since I have three of the Series you are publishing at 
present, I would desire to have the first number — ‘The 
Cottage by the Lake.* This number you have not sent me. 
Those you sent me I read with great interest, and am much 
pleased with them, and trust they may be largely circulated. 

“ Yours, truly, M. Ort.” 

Canton , 0., April 4, 1870. 

•* Enclosed find the amount of your bill for the ‘ Father- 
land Series.' The books are very interesting, and my 
children are delighted with them. 

“Yours, L. M. Kuhns.” 

Harrisburg) April 7, 1870. 

‘Your book entitled ‘Fritz,’ is all right. Go ahead; 
the more of that kind you publish the better. 

“ Youu, fraternally, G. F. Stelling.” 

Selinsgrove , April 6, 1870. 

“ I am glad to see you bringing out such nice, neat books. 
You can send us one copy of all new publications until 
otherwise ordered. Consider us standing subscribers. 

“Yours, J. G. L. Shindel.” 

Frost burg, Md April 6, 1870. 

‘“The Fatherland Series’ I am pleased with. They 
compare favorably with any of the publications of the daj 
— are a credit to the Society. 

“Yours, 


H. Bishop ” 





























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